I have been hearing a lot about the use of algae as prime matter to produce biofuel, so I decided to to do some trawling around on the subject, as it were. I came across a company called GreenFuel Technologies Corporation, which is at the forefront of the exploration of algae and this is how they describe it:
Algae are the fastest-growing plants in the world. Like other plants, they use photosynthesis to harness sunlight and carbon dioxide, creating high-value compounds in the process. Energy is stored inside the cell as lipids and carbohydrates, and can be converted into fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol. Proteins produced by algae make them valuable ingredients for animal feed.
The company says it uses a “portfolio of technologies to profitably recycle CO2 from smokestack, fermentation, and geothermal gases via naturally occurring species of algae. Algae can be converted to transportation fuels and feed ingredients or recycled back to a combustion source as biomass for power generation. Industrial facilities need no internal modifications to host a GreenFuel algae farm. In addition, the system does not require fertile land or potable water.”
The technology involved in this still is being developed, but it is very promising, especially because algae farming doesn’t necessarily require arable land.
For those who would would like to find out more, the University of New Hampshire has an in-depth article about it, written by Michael Briggs, a somewhat academic text but quite readable all the same.
And here you can find out about the research the Utah State University is conducting on this technology.
