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Algaculture: The new farming wave of Algae

Friday,
Jan 06
Algaculture

Algae is one of nature’s natural resources and can be easily grown in specific conditions. How do we create biodiesel from algae? What is needed to create an algae farm? How cost effective is algaculture?

Algaculture is the process of algae farming. Algae can be cultivated to be used as a source of biodiesel fuel, and these plant forms can have many benefits.

There are three things needed for algae to grow; these are water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight. Algae use sunlight in a process called photosynthesis, which is when energy from the sun is converted into chemical energy. The chemical energy that is created is then used to start and sustain chemical reactions like the formation of sugars or converting nitrogen into necessary amino acids. Algal oil is produced by algae and can be used to produce biodiesel. Biodiesel production from algal oil on a large-scale basis could have the potential to produce the amount of biodiesel needed to completely replace gasoline, but unfortunately, technology is not this advanced yet, and algae-farming today is minimal.

Algae farming can offer many benefits, and one of these is that microalgae grow significantly faster than land crops used to make biodiesel. One acre of algae will produce between 5,000 and 20,000 gallons of oil that can be turned into biodiesel. The best crop right now, aside from algae, is palm oil. This plant will only yield approximately less than 650 gallons of oil per acre. Of course this is a big difference and shows that algae may be the answer to supplying enough oil to eliminate fossil fuel use for good.

Algae, just like any other plant life, use carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This means that large-scale algae farming would not only create a biofuel that is environmentally friendly, but also, while the algae is growing, it would be cleaning the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing fresh oxygen.
Algae Farming

Algae farming could be the future energy crop, but some more work needs to be done before this method is perfected. Right now there are a few problems with algae farming on a large-scale basis; cost is one of these. Using open ponds does not work very well, even though this method is cheap because many of the algae strains that grow in this environment are not high in oils. Because microalgae with a high oil content is not very strong, open ponds allow contaminates and other species of algae to invade and threaten the high oil producing algae species. This means that algae must be grown in a very controlled environment. This is not possible with an open pond. This means that a large amount of capital is needed to start an algae farm if it is to be productive and successful. Algae farming using algae species that are perfect for the production of biodiesel means a lot of work as well as expense. These algae strains are high-maintenance and must be protected from any contamination or invasion by other strains of algae.

The benefits of algae farming, however, are almost endless. This energy crop has the capability of replacing all the fossil fuels used in the world with an alternative, renewable biofuel, though technology is not quite that advanced yet and it may take a few years for technology to reach that point. Algae farms may help eliminate waste because the waste produced by animal farms can be used as a food source for the farmed algae. Algae also contain nutrients that can provide a fertilizer that is environmentally friendly and rich in phosphorous and nitrogen. These nutrients can be extracted from the algae and make farming land crops much cleaner and less harmful to the earth.

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