Alternative Fuel Quick Links:
- BioDiesel
- Ethanol
- Natural Gas
- Solar Power
- Wind Power
- Hydrogen
- Hydroelectric Power
- Liquid Coal
- Hybrid Vehicles
- Electric Cars
- Air Cars

Manipulating Algae for Biodiesel - 10/9/08

Algae can be a nuisance to fish and human alike. But biotech companies are finding algae may be an important resource.

Algae can grow very fast. Algae can double in population twice a day with only water, sunlight and carbon dioxide, which then it can produce oil. Researchers are genetically manipulating algae causing them to grow faster than normal rates.

Their goal is to enhance algae to efficiently produce oil and other products that can be used as biofuel. The technology is there, but the challenge is to scale up production which no one has been able to do.

Researchers agree genetically modified algae can be dangerous if not contained. A whole ecosystem could be destroyed.

University of California at Berkeley is doing research on green microalgae improving their hydrogen production.

Solazyme in San Francisco is genetically engineering algae to feed on sugars rather than sun to produce oils through fermentation. The down side in using sugar is that sugar is expensive.

Algae can produce oil chemically identical to regular crude oil and be refined into gasoline. Sapphire Energy in Sonoma, California is developing algae with this capability.

A cheaper way of producing fuel from algae is growing natural strains and not genetically modifying the algae. HR Biopetroleum in Hawaii has partnered with two local utility companies to build algae for biodiesel operation. The utilities power plant carbon dioxide emissions would be fed to the natural algae causing it to grow very quickly. The algae will grow so quickly the ponds will be drained of algae every 24 hours and the oil extracted. The oil will then be refined into biodiesel and the utility companies then buy.

GreenFuel Technologies is testing the use of fossil fuel emissions to speed the growth of algae. They are finding the largest problem is having enough land adjacent to the plants for an algae farm.

Start making your own biodiesel fuel for only 70 cents a gallon! - Fuelmeister Biodiesel Processor

Find More BioDiesel Processors

Back To the BioDiesel Alternative Fuel Index