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Algae can produce 30 times more
energy than other potential biofuel
crops
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
By Carol Cole-Frowe
Pond scum used to be an unsightly, nasty
inconvenience. But lowly algae are now
being touted by some as the crop that can
completely replace the world’s need for
fossil fuel.
The single-celled plant that uses lots and
lots of carbon dioxide, or CO2, and sunlight
is the hottest development in the race to
produce commercially feasible alternatives
to traditional hydrocarbons.
Plus, it grows fast, is biodegradable and environmentally friendly.
ALGAE VS. BIOFUEL
BIOMASS REFINING
“It does not create cellulose. They don’t need stalks. They don’t need
leaves. They don’t need branches,” said Geoffrey Price of the University
of Tulsa at the recent Energy Summit sponsored by The Oklahoma
Academy. “They don’t require fixed nitrogen, which means you don’t
have to fertilize them.”
In fact, algae will grow in about any kind of water: fresh, salt, even
wastewater. In the ocean, it’s a massive “sink,” or user of carbon
dioxide.
And when algae are compared to switchgrass, rapeseed, corn or other
alternative fuels, it’s far more efficient.
“Algae just beats the heck out of them … in terms of the hydrocarbons
they can make,” said Price, who holds a doctorate.
ALGAE VS. BIOFUEL
In fact, algae can produce 30 times more energy per acre than the other
crops promoted for biofuel, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
“They are food neutral. They do not compete with food crops,” Price said.
And the energy department estimates growing algae would require
15,000 square miles — or about the state of Maryland — to supply all the
fuel needs in the U.S.
“Alga has pretty good attributes. It uses sun more efficiently than
anything else,” said Richard Mallinson, the C.M. Sliepcevich professor of
chemical engineering at the University of Oklahoma.
Mallinson, who holds a doctorate, said algae also don’t have to compete
with other food crops.
“You could grow it in desert areas,” he said. “You could use fairly poor
quality, brackish water.”
Another plus — algae can also be used within the existing crude oil,
gasoline, diesel and jet fuel infrastructure.
“We don’t have to rebuild refineries,” Price said.
BIOMASS REFINING
Algae are one of the focuses of OU’s Center for Biomass Refining at the
Oklahoma Bioenergy Center.
“I think we can make rapid progress to be a player in Oklahoma,”
Mallinson said.
He said Oklahoma State University is also growing algae for research
purposes.
Price said the biggest challenges include extraction to hydrocarbons.
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There’s the need for capital investment over the next five to 10 years.
And then there are predators.
“Things like to eat them,” he said.
Mallinson said the Oklahoma Legislature has provided support, thanks to
former Oklahoma Secretary of Energy David Fleischaker. —Carol
Cole-Frowe
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Algae: The New Oil
Algae is renewable, does not affect the food channel and consumes co2. To
learn more about the commercialization of the algae industry, you may want
to check out this website: www.nationalalgaeassociation.com
4/22/2009 10:22 AM | bcole
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