The Algae That Saved the Planet

[sardonicbynature]

lets send those ass hole arabs back to the stone age.

[jwallbanger]

seems like a good idea for the future, but currently we have large amounts of coastal wasteland perfect for large algae ponds, which don't require such a complicated expensive set up as this is. once algae fuel really takes off and this land gets more scarce this will be a good alternative to try.

[anubis2814]

@jwallbanger Bioreactors are needed for fuels like gasoline and jet fuel. Open ponds are good for biomass as a coal replacement.

[jwallbanger]

@anubis2814 yeah they need closed ponds to avoid contamination if using special strains that produce oil and methane (>>methanol,) but it makes a lot more sense even to make ethanol from algae biomass the than from corn or soy which is an absolutely terrible method for too many reasons to list.

we have lots of dry coastal wasteland where we can grow algae in seawater. it can be done next to coal, gas and oil power plants and feed the CO2 to the algae, make fuel and the byproduct is fresh water!

[ifarcast]

INVEST IN THIS INVEST INVEST INVEST INVEST!!!

[Citizen1Media]

This is a great idea to grow algae IF the plastic mats and piping aren't a problem. Do they clog up? How long do they last, cost? How much energy is needed for pumping? There must B better closed loop systems than those bags. The growing bags would B a bad plastic:algae ratio. It's great 2 hear they can taylor for specific hydrocarbons, etc. They can taylor for other properties 2 (like protein) If I was investing, I would feed shrimp & shell-fish and fish with the algae because they $more.

[Humuhumunukunukuapu]

20,000 gallons/acre/year is highly unrealistic and hasn't been proven yet on a large scale... and I can be considered a proponent of microalgal fuels since I work with them. But companies making unsubstantiated claims is what is giving this field a bad name.

[UniversePirate]

an algae isn't a plant

[hydra8888]

It photosynthesises...

[UniversePirate]

@hydra8888 it doesn't imply it being a plant, algae belong to the Protozoa kingdom

[hydra8888]

@UniversePirate Protista

[ase010]

The Idea is good, but there is to much toxic leaching plastic involved, also any fuel is not needed, its useless. While we can use superior stateless~zero-point, fusion, electro-magnetism and hyper technology's etc. There is to much choice. Think about it.

[davedavedaveannoy1]

@ase010 1st of all, what is zero point energy, physics was never really my specialty.

2nd, creating synthetic petroleum is an excellent idea because it is extremely reliable and efficient, you put it into the tank and it is combusted and turned into energy, with electric you have to produce it, then establish an expensive power storage system, then spend much to maintain it, but oil is simple. 3rd, Fusion is extremely costly and noone has yet been able to create a self-sustaining reaction.

[De4sher]

@davedavedaveannoy1

zero point energy is BS, and physics is my field (just graduated)

synthetic petroleum is great, just gotta get those bacteria to start producing some :)

[anger42]

@De4sher not to burst your bubble but physics doesn't apply very much here as much as chemistry would. Seeing as how physics studys the natural motion of matter through time and space and chemistry is more focused on the composition, behaivior, structure and properties of matter when it undergoes a chemical reaction...which is what the algae does when it gets turned into fuel.

[De4sher]

@anger42 however you wanna put it, why don't you go and find that chemical reaction that doesn't conserve energy, and then come back.

physics is the the theory behind chemistry. without quantum mechanics, the theory of electromagnetism, and thermodynamics chemistry is alchemy.

but even if i am wrong about everything, if there was such thing as free energy, nature would have found that reaction long ago my friend, so best wishes to those that wanna find something like that.

[hydra8888]

Great Glen

[r8wing]

Oh cut this oil companies conspiracy crap. They're not selling oil, they're selling FUEL. Any kind of it. If they see an economic opportunity in algae they'll be the first to invest massively in this niche, trying not to miss a new market. Unfortunately producing biodiesel from algae is not economically viable so far, but I have no doubts it will be in the future.

[hydra8888]

Just thank ME!

[zarlus8]

I'm so down for this.

When I learned that seaweed can grow like 8 feet a day, or something outrageous like that, I thought about the similarities between it and algae and wondered what we could do with it. If this information is accurate, I'm ow with the exchange of good to bad.

The only problem would be "oil companies," essentially any one trying to make money. This would cause them to loose their profits. So unless they bought it, they would not support it.

[flintstone9812]

If Valcent can keep big oil out of the way, the US could one day be growing enough "fuel" to start exporting it to other countries. Imagine, the new OPEC!!