Next Big Bio-Fuel - ALGAE

Bryan Garner, News Channel 5 visits a farm in Fellsmere that produces algae which replaces crude oil. Fred Tennant (Vice President of Petroalgae) says it is cheaper than oil, a lot cheaper. Arizona State developed this Algae and or process. Bits of algae fed with carbon dioxide grow dark green. From seed to harvest in just two days.

This video was taken before the gas reached the four dollar mark. The kick in the ass is that this company will not produce it for the public. So I don't see it effecting pump prices, EVER!


RECORDED IN MAY 2008

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• petroleum
• gasoline
• gas
• alternative
• fuel
• bio
• algae
• algy
• fellsmere
• environment

[gteea]

So it is just psuedomonas.

[rawdonut]

@gteea ; Pseudomonas is a genus of gammaproteobacteria, belonging to the family Pseudomonadaceae, but I am not sure what is grown. They are calling it micro-algae. Leaving a broad spectrum of possibilities.

[XxHolyPoptartxX]

The oil companies will buy him out or kill him before he goes public

[rawdonut]

@XxHolyPoptartxX: Most Likely!

[mphello]

@cokie58 We still need portable fuels, even though they are not an original energy source (which always has to be the sun). If not H2, then something else.

We also need oil as a feedstock, not just a fuel. That's why that Japanese inventor who turns trash into oil needs billions of dollars investment. It doesn't create more energy. It just makes material that we need. It still has to be solar or wind powered.

[yuecele]

Sehr gut



[BiomasseNutzung]

If this company really can produce biodiesel out of algae in a cost-competitive way (what I can't imagine yet), I really hope he is starting partnerships with european countries.

Thanks and good luck!

[lta6494]

Finally pond scum to the rescue. If energy prices remain artificially high won't ever fuel source become viable?

[Tamizushi]

@DeepFriedFuzzball Hard to tell. All the methods used today to grow microalgea are very expensive and very often take more energy than they produce. The good news is that there are many ways that the processes could be improved and there is a large number of companies working on it. As with all bleeding edge techs, I think it's always good to keep an healthy amount of skepticism but if they can make it work, it has even more potential than crude oil.

[DeepFriedFuzzball]

I think this is awesome. I'm glad theres a whole load of oil in canada in the form of oil sands, 1.7 - 2 trillion barrels in fact, but I'd far rather burn fuel that comes from this stuff as it's better for the environment and therefore better for us too. Also, despite the fact that there is still plenty of this "unconventional crude oil" for example in Canada, unlike all of that this stuff is renewable. How long is it going to be before we see this on the market??

[gunjar13]

really awesome

[platinum243125]

This is being implemented already for shipping and the navy, can't wait to have it in gas station and planes!

[AndrewDeLong]

@dobredanielstelian 73% of the planet's surface is water, and that's merely the surface. In terms of depth, that water can be anywhere from a few feet to several hundred feet, to several miles. There is simply no way we could run out of water by utilizing this Algae. Further, in the oil production process, that water is re-released into the environment.

In short, no, we won't run out of water, and this is a wholly regenerative source of fuel.

[mphello]

@mphello

But even THAT won't happen (they won't buy him out), because the oil companies are dying as oil runs out.

i.e. they won't buy him out so as not to produce and market the algae-technology.

They may buy him out, because they already have the capital, but they will mass market the algae tech on that pre-existing infrastructure. And, THAT would be a GOOD thing for all of us.