Algae As Fuel

by Win Paul, Contributing Editor

Algae is quite possibly one of the best sources of biodiesel. In fact, algae is the highest yield feedstock for biodiesel. It can produce up to 250 times the amount of oil per acre as soybeans. In fact, producing biodiesel from algae may be the only way to produce enough automotive fuel to replace current gasoline usage.

Algae yields about 5,000 to 20,000 gallons of oil, while the second alternative would be palm oil, which yields only about 635 gallons. Algae is 7 to 31 times greater than palm oil. It is very simple to extract oil from algae, too.

The hard part is finding the right type of algae that has a high lipid content and fast growth rate. Open ponds are not the best source of algae, and programs such as the Aquatic Species Program are criticized for focusing their efforts exclusively on open ponds.

Many studies today are ongoing on the usefulness of algae as biodiesel. The best algae for biodiesel would be microalgae. Microalgae is an organism capable of photosynthesis that is less than 2 mm in diameter. Macroalgae, like seaweed, is not as widely used in the production of biodiesel. Microalgae has much more oil than macroalgae, and it is much faster and easier to grow. It also has a less complex structure for ease of use.

One example of algae research is using marine microalgage in a photobioreactor. This is the International Research Consortium on Continental Margins at the International University Bremen. The results of the findings are unknown, and it is believed the that research is still currently ongoing.

Another major experiment being done is by Green Star Products. In 2006, Green Star Products signed an agreement to create 90 biodiesel reactors using strictly algae. Each of these reactors should be capable of making ten million gallons of biodiesel per year, which equates to over 900 million gallons of biodiesel fuel. This number is 4 times more than the entire United States output in 2006.

Many are questioning Green Star's expertise in biodiesel, but their president has stated that the current biodiesel production is exceeding expectations. Only time will tell whether or not their project will be successful.

Clearly, algae is the best source of biodiesel fuels. It can produce much more oil than other crops, and is easy to maintain. Although much of the algae that can be found today is useless, such as seaweed, there is still plenty of usable microalgae. Biodiesel fuel may one day replace petroluem fuel, and without algae, this would have never been possible.