Oil from Algae . Is there a market here ?

[BigAl]

This is a pretty hot topic to me . I see some pretty solid evidence it might play a important role for Oil independence from the Middle East .

A lot of people think oil came from Dinosaurs . Not True .... It mostly comes from ancient Algae deposits deep in the earth .

I found this information very interesting from the www.oilgae.com web site :



Algae Can Be The New Oil

The Problem with Crop-Based Biofuels
A new generation of biofuels, derived from farmed crops such as corn, sugarcane, rapeseed and palm has been touted as the replacement for petroleum. But these all fall short of displacing petroleum because they require vast amounts of precious resources like water, rainforests, and farmlands. Additionally, crops like corn require a great deal of energy to turn into fuel and are less energy-rich than petroleum.
Simply put, no farmed crop can compete with petroleum. Biofuels as we know them are a dead end.

Algae Is the Ideal Replacement for Oil
A small organism, micro-algae (algae), is the natural replacement for petroleum. In fact, most of the petroleum we use today is made up of ancient algae. Algae is a highly efficient biological factory capable of taking carbon dioxide (CO2), a waste product, and converting it into a high-density liquid form of natural oil through photosynthesis.
In other words, algae turns CO2, a bad thing, directly into oil, a good thing.

Benefits

Algae is fast growing – each oil-producing cell can mature in just hours .Algae is oil-rich — contains as much as 60% of its dry weight in oil .Algae is carbon neutral – meaning that it does not affect climate like petroleum. Algae is fuel efficient – as much as 1000 times more productive than corn

Challenges of Producing Algae Oil
How to maximize light exposure for optimum growthHow to optimize CO2 absorption to maximize oil contentHow to keep energy requirements lowHow to make systems affordable



We already know we are running out of oil and a new method of a endless supply would solve a lot of problems for the future of the U.S. and make us much less dependent on other nations for our oil needs . Would it not be nice to tell the Mid East to shove their oil up their butt ? What do you think would happen if this new techology was fully up and running today ?? Thats right , the Middle eastern countries would lose the only bargaining chip they have .

Its not smoke and mirrors stuff , this is taking place today .

 

[waybomb]

We already know we are running out of oil .

I don't believe we are. Every year for the last ten years, we have found more new resrerves than we have extracted. Rememebr, we were supposed to run out in somethinmg like 1984.

Follow the money on this one.....

 

[California]

Well finding more reserves or not, we need to find an alternative to funding the Saudi's support of our enemies.

That alone is sufficient reason to continue research into biofuels we can produce in the West.

 

[BigAl]

Well finding more reserves or not, we need to find an alternative to funding the Saudi's support of our enemies.

That alone is sufficient reason to continue research into biofuels we can produce in the West.

Thats my take on this too . I am not a Save the whale, Tree hugger type ,but we need to get out from under the thumb of the OPEC

 

[Melensdad]

I also agree that this is a way to domestically produce fuel without taking away from food producing land or increasing food prices. I see energy independence as a national security issue, not an environmental issue. Regardless of our world's fuel supplies, I see those as a situation of Supply vs Demand, where we demand and someone else supplies. We need to control at least a little more of our supply.

Now all that said, I've been researching Algae to Fuel for the past 2 years and think there is something there. Not sure IF/WHEN it will be feasible. Further it looks most promising to be a diesel fuel alternative, as in BioDiesel. While I am in love with that concept, most consumers in America HATE the concept of diesel cars. So its a long way before we get profits from this. There are production issues just in terms of growing the algae in large enough quantities to continually harvest. There are refining issues which lead to economies of scale since currently BioDiesel costs more than Dino-Diesel. Distribution would be a no brainer, that system is already in place . . . at least assuming it is compatible with current Bio &/or Dino-Diesels.

Invest? Not me, not yet. It might be 3, 5, 10 or more years before we see a payoff.

 

[bczoom]

Thats my take on this too . I am not a Save the whale, Tree hugger type ,but we need to get out from under the thumb of the OPEC

So, how about if we drill here? OOPS.... NOT. Damn greenies won't allow it. Ditto with nuke power.
EDIT: Don't want to change the subject... just stating.

I'm still not sure on this. Some things don't make sense.
E.g. "Algae is oil-rich — contains as much as 60% of its dry weight in oil .Algae is carbon neutral – meaning that it does not affect climate like petroleum."
Ummm, aren't petroleum products carbon neutral until you burn them? What happens when you burn this new stuff. Won't it discharge the same "stuff" as other petroleum based products?

 

[California]

I think it is called carbon neutral because burning it releases the same CO2 that it absorbed while it was growing.

 

[Erik]

I wonder if you can extract the oil then compress the rest into pellets for fuel like grain and wood pellets?
or ferment the leftovers for fuel alcohol, then dry and pelletize the leftovers(squared)?

 

[waybomb]

I think it is called carbon neutral because burning it releases the same CO2 that it absorbed while it was growing.

So then, burning current oil in the ground, if in fact is a normal algae conversion process, is also carbon nuetral.

Having said that, I think I need some 1400 hp engines....

 

[California]

Not really. You are burning the CO2 accumulated during a growing season long ago. So it adds to the carbon accumulated and released in the present.

 

[Melensdad]

Not really. You are burning the CO2 accumulated during a growing season long ago. So it adds to the carbon accumulated and released in the present.

So what is an appropriate timeline to be considered 'carbon neutral' for energy? 12 months? 2 years? 10 years? Clearly a couple million years is not valid based on your statement. So what is a valid period?

 

[California]

You want numbers? I dunno. The problem is that the modern era is releasing too much CO2 into the atmosphere and adding some that was grown in a different era just adds to the problem. In general terms.

 

[REDDOGTWO]

Somewhere on the TV, I saw where the methane bubbling up in Alaska in some of the bogs is contributing to global warming, so I do not know the answer. I will state the the earth goes through periods of change and I do believe that mankind may have some bearing on it but with a common sense approach rather than some of the radical means being proposed that we can leave a little smaller imprint on the environment than what we may have in the past.

 

[California]

Getting way off of Al's topic (sorry Al!) it is somewhat of a joke that cow farts are a major methane source. Cows are a major part of methane production but their belches actually are more important.

Hey Al! Maybe there are huge profits available for inventing Cow Beano that earns carbon credits!!!

 

[daedong]

So what is an appropriate timeline to be considered 'carbon neutral' for energy? 12 months? 2 years? 10 years? Clearly a couple million years is not valid based on your statement. So what is a valid period?

Bob bio fuel from algae is only carbon neutral in my view if man has grown the algae. The algae needs to be farmed. So under that scenario the carbon has been taken by man from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, under this definition time has no relevance.

The only other way I can put it is for every gram of CO2 released by burning a biofuel man has already taken one gram from the atmosphere.