GSPI Releases Algae Biodiesel R&D Video

[myystatious]

I don't know if it has already been mentioned but Algea with high oil yields can be grown indoors using low energy LED light in the membrane reactors...looks intrigueing anyway.

[hittheroadjackk]

A Joe LaStella attempt to set you free of your money, BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE!

[wrestlerjerry]

Grayfalcon...wow your good at twisting facts around...

[jcslc777]

They are moving these research operations from Mexico to Utah.

[clamcrabber]

remember that book theandromeda strain?

[manolis1080]

Algae can also be turned into carbon-carcoil etc

[manolis1080]

But Finaly i think that to replace all petrolium consumption with biofuel from atmosperic CO2 capturing organisms isnt realistic cause you will need treamendus amount of farm land ,perhaps artificial photosinthesis farms can capture atmospheric CO2 more efficiently than plants or Algae..

[roidroid]

I've seen some ways to reversibly & chemically harvest and concentrate pure CO2 from the atmosphere (artificial trees). If we can combine this with algae, we can harvest carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the form of solid stable carbon.

It'll take energy though :-/

The CO2 harvest process needs heat, and growing Algae needs light. Perhaps more than solar energy can provide

[killmaster]

the sun provide more then enough light to grow as much algae as can possibly be grown on the planet. idk about these artificial trees you speak of. but thick of it this way. the majority of oxygen on the planet is produced in the ocean by vegetation. and the ocean is quite large so if the sun is enough for that then im sure is sufficient for algae production.

[roidroid]

Good idea!

Sunlight hitting the ocean is an untapped resource, and this way space will not be an issue. (trading space-efficiency, for the ability to use unconcentrated atmospheric CO2)

I have seen some ideas of seeding the ocean with iron (big ships full of iron, just spraying it out there) - which will greatly increase algae growth.

But we will not have much control over the process though. What effect will it have on the global oceanic ecosystem? I'm a little worried :-/

[killmaster]

oh i didnt mean using the ocean to grown the algae in. i was commenting on the fact that you said. "Algae needs light. Perhaps more than solar energy can provide" i was just saying there is more then enough sunlight to go around. also if there is a lack of sunlight. sugars can be used to stimulate the growth without sunlight. these sugars can come from easily accessible sources such as switch grass, wood ship, and other plant life. but this will have to be done in farming ponds of some sort.

[roidroid]

But you need sunlight to grow those carbs in the first place. And isn't algae the best plant for turning sunlight into carbs anyway?

Surely just letting algae grow it's own carbs naturally will be the fastest and most efficient way.

If this new algae is dependant on sugar crops to grow, doesn't it defeat the whole purpose of algae? Just make ethanol outof that sugar directly!

[killmaster]

the only rsn to sugar feed the algae would be cause it makes the algae produce more oil.which is good 4 the biodiesel industry.also it would eliminate the need to make new man made pond farms to grow the algae,and instead could be done in indoor factories.its easier to just plant switch grass seeds on existing terrain then to make man made ponds everywhere.but who knows,just various ideas i have seen from the different videos and articles on it. time and research will tell whats best i suppose.

[greyflcn]

Killmaster, what's your oppinion about this article:

greyfalcon. net/ algae4

[manolis1080]

perhaps bioEthanol from biomass coltures like swichgrass or cane or just fast growing grass is more effective at utilizing Atmospheric (non fossil) CO2 than oilproducing Algae (Algae meanwhile can also produce sugar or ethanol remeber..)

[manolis1080]

but Algae isnt realy effective at capturing atmospheric CO2 and such cultures are not even researched yet..also to be realy eco friendly those Algae cultures should take nitrus and other fertilizers not from artificial chemical or fossil fertilizers but from algae eating microoranisms like nitrobacteria.Plus the seperation of oil from the algae mass must be done with eco friendly methods like enzimes or wind power etc

[manolis1080]

i think producing biodiesel from algae isnt good for the enviroment and is not reducing the greenhouse total emmisions since algae requries addive CO2 from carbon or petrolium burning plants so in reality fossil CO2 is just transfered to algae.. I believe only Algae farms that utilize atmospheric CO2 are realy antiGreenhouse effect..!

[killmaster]

hey search this video, MIT Algae Photobioreactor . this may not be taking excess co2 out of the air, but it can pretty stop the addition of more co2 being put in the air. since the trasition off of fossil fuel is going to take years because you have to build the a whole new infrastructure. this help to slow co2 emissions during the transition. because this process is co2 neutral. also usable products can be made out of the algae after its done growing.

[greyflcn]

If they can make it work, by all means.

But they have to deal with a huge engineering hurdle and the raw limitations of photosynthesis itself.

greyfalcon. net/ algae

greyfalcon. net/ algae2

greyfalcon. net/ algae3

[killmaster]

not entirely true. sugar can be used to feed the algae to boost the productivity past plain photosynthesis. this can be obtained from switch grass, wood chips, sugar cane bark.

[roidroid]

All of those sources of sugar are dependant on photosynthesis :-/.

But you're right greyflcn is almost always "not entirely true"

[killmaster]

thats true, but since when is photosynthesis from growing grass a problem?? planting the switch grass would mean even more CO2 reduction right??

[greyflcn]

==planting the switch grass would mean even more CO2 reduction right??==

Not neccisarily.

greyfalcon. net/ ethanol10

[killmaster]

well thats for corn, switchgrass is a lot different.

youtube . com /watch?v=0muh76a6rrc

[greyflcn]

==well thats for corn, switchgrass is a lot different.==

"Biofuels from switchgrass, if they replace croplands and other carbon-absorbing lands, would result in 50 percent more greenhouse gas emissions, the researchers concluded."

greyfalcon. net/ ethanol10