Many prominent scientists and research departments of large major universities have been studying the energy benefits of algae for years. Dr. Paul Falkowski, one of many leading scientists at Rutgers University, has done research projects and studies on algae use as an alternative energy source. Dr. Falkowski, who is also the director of the Rutgers Energy Institute, is researching methods which would make producing biofuel from algae more effective and cost productive. Dr. Falkowski is doing research that includes schemes for the optimization of the oil extraction and the processing methods which turn the oil into biodiesel.
Dr. Mark Venable, the head of the Biology department at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, also has research into algae as a source of energy. Dr. Venable has a lab set up where he conducts experiments into lipids, or oils, including those found naturally in algae. The professor and his students are working on some interesting research projects, including ways to stimulate even higher amounts of oil production from these plants using low cost methods. Another area of research for this department is in studying the metabolic changes in algae responsible for oil production.
Biomass algae culture, called Algaculture, may very well be the best solution to meeting the energy needs of the future while addressing the carbon buildup and global warming at the same time. Algae bacteria are one of the best possible energy sources. Many strains of algae can contain significantly more than fifty percent oil, which can be used to make biodiesel. Algae offer many benefits that other renewable resources do not. Corn and soybeans are widely used in the production of biofuels, but this has many problems and is criticized by many third world countries, because these crops are food crops. Fertile land is needed for these crops, and fertile land is in short supply around the world.
Algae can be grown almost anywhere, even on sewage or salt water, and does not require fertile land or food crops. It is very efficient and can be made cost effective with little effort. Algae is very energy and oil dense,
sequesters CO2 permanently while growing, only needs sunlight and water which is not suitable for drinking or farm use, only takes hours to reproduce, has a very high yield per acre used, does not require fertile land or food crops, and is very eco friendly because it is not toxic, does not contain sulfur, and is very biodegradable. This makes it the perfect solution for future energy that does not depend on other countries, fossil fuels, or pollute the earth and cause environmental harm.
As global warming speeds up, oil rich countries harbor terrorists, pollution reaches all time highs, and oil prices fluctuate widely, renewable energy sources are the answer. Algae bacteria are just one of the alternative energy sources being researched. Other methods are not as efficient or effective as
algaculture though. Wind and solar energy are renewable, but these energy sources are unstable and are not continuous. This could lead to energy gaps, where more power is needed than what is available. Hurricane and ocean energy, such as wave and tidal energy, are other options but these are very hard to control and are not really good viable options. Algae as a energy source has none of these disadvantages. This method of creating biofuel is easily controlled, and is extremely stable. Algae can be grown almost anywhere, and processing requires less energy than the algae provides.
There are many university biology departments at schools around the world that are researching the benefits and possibilities of algaculture, and all of the research and scientific experiments have proven that algae may be the answer to the meeting the energy needs of tomorrow in a cost effective way that does not damage the environment or increase global warming. Algae can be a replacement for oil based fuels, one that is more effective and has no disadvantages. It is just a matter of time before this biofuel feedstock is commonly used and cultivated. Compared to other alternative
renewable energy sources, algaculture is the only one that is controlled, stable, and has the ability to produce large amounts of biodiesel with no fertile land or good water use.
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it's all about oil
February 5, 2009 at 16:47 pmA quick note from an aspiring phycologist. The various strains of algae being investigated for use as energy sources (B.braunii, Chlorella sp., etc) are members of the Archaeplastida Clade in the Phylum Chlorophyta. This phylum is considered eukaryotic and so your reference to them as 'algae bacteria' is mischaracterization. Eukaryotes have a nucleus and membrane bound organelles, in contrast to prokaryotes/bacteria that do not have a nucleus or organelles. This hardly changes the message of your story and I hate to split hairs, but there is a clear distinction between green algae and bacteria. However, if you were referring to blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) your characterization is correct, but these tend not to be lipid accumulators. One last note, a lot of interesting work is being done with transgenic green algae to produce sustainable pharmaceuticals and other industrial chemicals, reducing the cost and energy requirements to produce these invaluable products. Excellent piece. -Eric
February 5, 2009 at 18:21 pmWell maybe it is all about oil now, but wait for several years and you will see that things will be different.
February 5, 2009 at 19:46 pmI think solar energy is the most promising sourse of alternative energy, so scientists should develop solar panels and other solar energy converters instead of algae and other bio sources
February 5, 2009 at 20:01 pmfuturer, It is all about the sun. If you think about it, algae also uses solar energy to grow, so plants convert the solar energy into complex molecules that we can use to produce biodiesel or other forms of energy. Next, wind power, it also uses solar energy, as it is the sun that heats up our planet unequally and causes the winds to blow from regions with higher pressure to regions with lower pressure. Hydroelectric power plants also utilize solar enegry, as it is the sun that evaporates the water from oceans and then it condences into rain and snow at higher altitudes. You can continue this list, the bottom line is that pretty much all alternative energy sources utilize sun energy that our planet received just recently. And when we use fossil fuels we use the energy our planet received millions of years ago. Jason
February 5, 2009 at 20:23 pmLink to the actual study!
February 5, 2009 at 20:24 pmActual yields and costs or it didn't happen. Actual quotes and links to websites of scientists supporting this or it didn't happen.
February 5, 2009 at 20:24 pmFuturer: Algaic production IS solar production. The photosynthesis process creates both lipid and carbohydrate (hydrocarbon?) products that can be converted either into fuels or heat products (or both). It consumes CO2 -- and when the products are burned, releases CO2 that can then be consumed through the algae farming process. Closed Loop. Good stuff. The sun is the energy source for many many processes (as mentioned by Jason) of which this is one, as are PV cells -- which I assume was the point of your comment... Photosynthesis as a way to bind light energy into chemical energy is oftentimes *more efficient* than converting light energy into electricity. Fuels have a higher energy density than allowed for by batteries... Fundamentally, the only non-solar technology out there is nuclear, but oddly enough, heavy atoms such as Thorium and Uranium were also forged in the heart of stars long ago... In any case: "All the above" thinking must predominate as we learn that we must have a plethora of electricity and fuel generating capabilities -- no one of which should ever have a greater than 10~20% footprint if we are going to achieve true energy independence...
February 5, 2009 at 23:15 pmAlgae as a energy source is an interesting concept though. We need to move away from the oil. That's the whole point.
February 6, 2009 at 00:06 pmDear adml and Jasper1984, You were asking for links from sources that have been used for this article. Here is the one from Rutgers University Featured Research Projects webpage about Dr. Paul Falkowski algaculture research. And for the ones (adml, Jasper1984 and many others) who were looking for actual numbers here is another one from University of New Hampshire about actual project in the works to use California Salton Sea microalgal biomass systems for fuel production. And, yes, a lot of readers were correct pointing out that such studies started years even decades ago. They have been putting on hold and getting continued as non-profit, been researched again and again from different angles but the bottom line is the same - scientists and scientific institutions never stopped looking for better, greener and, of course, cheaper alternatives to ol' good but finite fossil fuels. With this article we are raising the public awareness again. We also thank everyone for taking a chance to review this article and we appreciate any feedback you provide on this and other areas of green energy application we cover on this website. Kindest regards, Mr. Bionomic
February 6, 2009 at 00:21 pmGreat article, and thanks for the clarification Eric. What I'd like to know is whether the oceanic dead zones could sustain either of these lifeforms?
February 6, 2009 at 00:33 pmDear Peter, Thank you for your question. Recently we came across the information about something that is called Great Pacific Garbage Patch (a.k.a. Plastic Island), some biomass waste larger than the size of the state of Texas, literally a garbage dump floating in the sea that can be potentially converted to energy. We will be publishing an article about that soon on this website. Regards, Mr. Bionomic
February 6, 2009 at 00:43 pmThe whole point is that it is all about oil. This is soo much better because we do not have to change our infrastructure or spend billions developing new electric cars. This is much greener than the production of our current solar panels. Though, that will be greener if we use this biofuel in their production. Producing oil this way is carbon neutral, so you will not be contributing to global warming, and in most cases even takes more carbon out of the air than is produced, because the carbon remains in the leftover material and is not burned. I'm not sure why you think solar panels and wind are so much better. They are ugly, require the use of tons of non green oil in their production, and use up vast amounts of land. They are however, the best alternatives for electricity, but not powering moving vehicles. We will run out the materials to make car batteries in no time if we turn to all electric vehicles, and the production once again is anything but green. This algea can be grown in tubes verticaly and takes up less space per acre than any other fuel source, and grows very fast. Get behind this, as this is the greenest, and by far the cheapest option for our transportation needs.
February 6, 2009 at 01:07 pmThis is a benefit to mankind thing Should have more people to join Thanks!
February 6, 2009 at 05:53 pmProjects such as this must be promoted further. If we do not do something about our current life style, Earth will die and it will be all our fault. Great story, thanks for sharing
February 6, 2009 at 06:37 pmI can like solar and wind better than algae. This doesn't mean we should not research in both. May be only one of them could be the winner but we don't know now. Even if algae will replace fossil oil, we will still need solar roof in place where is difficult to bring oil And then there is also tidal wave energy, river energy, nuclear fusion energy to be investigated mic
February 6, 2009 at 09:09 pmI have to agree with Michele. Even if Alage is not the answer we still need to research and see what types of benefits it can offer us.
February 6, 2009 at 20:52 pmAs the above poster said alage may not be the answer but if it gets us one step closer to being independant and not using oil then isn't it worth looking into? I think so!
February 7, 2009 at 08:35 pmEven if alage is not the answer with more research the fact that it can be used will open up more doors into other things that could lead to the answer. Excellent article!
February 8, 2009 at 09:11 pmWith all of the uses alage already has, I think that this is honestly a great use of alage. Instead of putting it on our faces as scrubs, using it as biofuel is a fantastic idea!
February 10, 2009 at 10:39 pmI definitely think that in this world we need to get away from using oil and I think that alage could definitely be the answer!
February 10, 2009 at 10:41 pmGood info, as research continues it seems like we can create an alternative energy source out of just about anything.
February 11, 2009 at 22:01 pmBefore you make algae into fuel for cars, you have to dry it. Cars can't burn water. It takes more energy to dry the algae than you can recoup from the biomass. This has been researched decades ago. The conclusion was (and will be again) that it won't work because of the high water content in algae.
February 17, 2009 at 01:19 pmWhat about the big garbage dump Mr. Bionomical mentioned above? Is there any way we could really get into using that? Wouldn't it be similar to municipal waste?
February 23, 2009 at 12:11 pmWill this ever become available for household use?
May 20, 2009 at 14:19 pm