Instead of freindly fuel source, now Exxon are MAKING oil to keep us dependant

Genome pioneer Craig Venter has teamed up with Exxon Mobil to turn living algae into mini oil wells.

So the science behind this is fascinating, to me however its a clutch at keeping money spinning for exxon.

Somehow they have manged to say its a cleaner fuel......

Rather than finding clean sustainable fuel sources, when the the wells dry up, they will fill them up via a biologically created oil.

Algae that can turn carbon dioxide back into fossil fuel - it sounds too good to be true.
How is this going to work? Algae use carbon dioxide to generate a number of oil molecules, via photosynthesis, as a way of storing energy. People have been trying to make them overproduce the oil and store it. We're changing the algae's gene structure to get them to produce hydrocarbons similar to those that come out of the ground and to trick them into pumping these hydrocarbons out instead of accumulating them. As other groups get CO2 sequestration techniques going, we'd like to take that CO2 and get the algae to convert it back into oil. The aim is to prevent it from further increasing carbon in the atmosphere.

How do you get from algae oil to oil you can put in a car or jet engine?
The next stage is to take the algae's biocrude, put it into Exxon Mobil's existing refineries, and try to make the same products that you get from oil that comes out of the ground. So the goal is to make gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel out of the same hydrocarbons we use now - just from a different source. Instead of pulling the carbon out of the ground we're pulling it out of the atmosphere.

How soon do you think that can happen?
There have been a lot of announcements from small demonstration projects claiming they're going to have major new fuels in one or two years. Our aim is to have a real and significant impact on the billions of gallons that are consumed worldwide. Materials used to make a vast range of products - clothing, carpets, medicines, plastics - come from oil. The goal is to try and replace as many of these as possible. The expectation is that doing it on this scale will take five to 10 years.

So will Exxon be producing nothing but algal power in 10 years' time?
I think that's highly unlikely. The real test is going to be how simply this can be produced so it can compete with oil prices. The challenge is not just doing it but doing it in a cost-effective fashion.

What makes you think that you, unlike anyone else, can do this? Well, we've had some breakthroughs in terms of getting the algae to secrete pure lipids [oils] but I think the real trick is the partnership that we have - the financial resources we now have available to us and the engineering and oil-processing skills of Exxon. Exxon has a poor reputation on climate-change issues.

Won't partnering with them damage the project's green credentials? Quite the opposite. I think the fact that the largest company in the world has gone in this direction after several years of study is good for all of us. I've said many times this change can't happen without the oil industry. They have a reputation for studying things for quite a while and acting in a large fashion once they become convinced of an approach. I don't see how it can be bad news if somebody makes a major change in direction for the benefit of the planet

www.newscientist.com...

reply to post by zazzafrazz


This could be great news. Thanks for sharing it. It could help keep the cost of oil down as well as lower our dependence on foreign oil, which will give us time to transition to something new over the next 20-50 years.

I agree. Plus, it makes fossil fuels out of the excess carbon dioxide.

It's a good idea. I mean, we could do it to rid the atmosphere of the extra CO2, and in the meantime work to develop technology to get us off of oil completely.

Yeah, here

"The aim is to prevent it from further increasing carbon in the atmosphere."

We've found no other way to do it, so this sounds like a good plan. Ecologically.

Zazz, it's not about trying to make a new fuel. They've already got their eyes on ethanol and stuff for that. They're trying to take the CO2 out of the atmosphere, and in the process, creating a fuel that recycles it's own waste.

It's really innovative, actually.

[edit on 7/25/2009 by ravenshadow13]

reply to post by ravenshadow13


Innovative on the same source of income.........
besides which, we could have done away with oil a long time ago, we dont need time to find new, the oil companies keep up addicted to them and stop any alternate from coming in for decades.....
Blatant money making, not saving the planet stuff at all.
Brasil runs completely from ethanol and has putted along on bananas for a long time....

[edit on 25-7-2009 by zazzafrazz]

reply to post by zazzafrazz


They're trying to reverse the damage to the atmosphere that they've caused, actually.

Plus it sounds like they're more interested on finding a way to take that CO2 out than they are interested in making a new fuel.

But you can think what you want.

Zazz, I'm an ecology major. I've been saying to go cold turkey on the oil for ages. Apparently you don't read my posts in other threads.

This is exciting if it can clean up the atmosphere and it sounds like a good idea to me, based on what I know in the various areas of science.

[edit on 7/25/2009 by ravenshadow13]

reply to post by zazzafrazz


Well from a business standpoint, we already have the infrastructure to support and deliver oil to the consumer. We wont need to spend billions building new infrastructure. The other thing is their is no other way to power vehicles that doesnt have just as many potential environmental problems as oil, with the exception of hydrogen power. With hydrogen you have to build out a new infrastructure, before the cars are on the market.. so its like a catch 22.

reply to post by ravenshadow13


As I said the science behind it is great, and yes it is a way to take out co2, but its primary motive is to make money for Exxcon, not to clean up the atmosphere, that has never been their concern has it? They made the mess and just want to keep the income stream coming. The clean up co2 is just good marketing....


[edit on 25-7-2009 by zazzafrazz]

reply to post by zazzafrazz


It's good marketing. But if it works, or if it could work, we should support it.

You seem to assume that it won't, or can't, or that it's selfish. I say if it works, that's really really important and we should see if it does.

sigh~

Instead of pulling the carbon out of the ground we're pulling it out of the atmosphere.
The aim is to prevent it from further increasing carbon in the atmosphere.

And what are they making...oil, and what does that produce? carbon, they'll still be putting it back in our air...they state they are preventing more carbon fromm going into the atmosphere, not removing all excess carbon.
They'll be putting back what they take out. They arent creating a oil that doesnt produce carbon.

There are fare better sources for fuel they should be working on, but how do they meter it to make money?

Additionally if their goal is clean up atmosphere, then clean it up and leave the oil in wells where it first came from and we took, and use another source of energy.

reply to post by zazzafrazz


The idea is that this will pull it from the atmosphere while they, or another company, develops cleaner fuels to run our cars on. When a new fuel is developed, we use that one, and use this process to suck the CO2 out. We don't need to actually keep using the fuel to run our cars if something which is Green comes along.

You basically said what I said. Use this to clean up, use something different to run on. Te public isn't stupid and neither are scientists. We shouldn't completely discredit this.

[edit on 7/25/2009 by ravenshadow13]

reply to post by zazzafrazz

There are fare better sources for fuel they should be working on, but how do they meter it to make money?

Additionally if their goal is clean up atmosphere, then clean it up and leave the oil in wells where it first came from and we took, and use another source of energy.

Well what other source would you use to power automobiles?

What are all of these great, fully developed means of powering things. Please inform me.

Electric Cars need new batteries every few years. All these old batteries end up in a landfill and then you will be againt the evil battery makers.

Doesn't this fit the definition of a 'renewable energy source'? They are using a renewable, biological source to create an energy source. How is this any different from methanol, other than it doesn't redirect our farmland from producing food to producing fuel for our cars?

Good on Exxon for being innovative and green!

[edit on 7/25/09 by Ferris.Bueller.II]

What is meant is that algae would take CO2 out of the atmosphere via photosinthesis and make oil out of it that would be collevted and burned eventually creating energy and CO2 that algae would take out of ..... Thus "mineral" oil from wells would be no longer and semi-biological CO2oil cycle would be born.
Couple of questions though. Algae survives only by photosynthesis or they also consume minerals and other things? I assume that later is the truth so a lot of algae would mean some sort of accomodation of other resources.
And energy need grows, so we will need more algae until possibly all the ecosystem could break down. Evetually we would become green planet , not blue one, with that much algae on. Go Venus II!

reply to post by ZeroKnowledge


Pretty sure they survive only on photosynthesis. They make their own food. Pretty sure all they need is light and water and CO2.

I did a quick search and couldn't find anything saying otherwise.

[edit on 7/25/2009 by ravenshadow13]

reply to post by ravenshadow13


I really do not now a lot about biology, especially marine biology. But i just heard that algae are rich in calcium and iodine. So it is probably somehow needed by algae if it is present in it in high concentrations? I find it hard to accept that one can grow algae in double distilled water,for example. Might be easily mistaken though.

reply to post by ZeroKnowledge


I bet they can only survive in certain pH levels. That would explain it.

Yeah I don't know much about marine botany. I don't take Marine Bio until the fall, but I'll let you know then.

It is my opinion that if every state built facilities that utilize the thermal depolymerization process,
Maybe instead of paying for garbage service, we could get paid for our garbage as well as decrease foreign crude purchases to a fraction of todays import oil.

Then, they can continue researching the algae thing.

The thermal depolymerization process is available now, yet only one of these facilities is in operation in the states.

Interesting concept though

Originally posted by zazzafrazz
sigh~

Instead of pulling the carbon out of the ground we're pulling it out of the atmosphere.
The aim is to prevent it from further increasing carbon in the atmosphere.

And what are they making...oil, and what does that produce? carbon, they'll still be putting it back in our air...they state they are preventing more carbon fromm going into the atmosphere, not removing all excess carbon.
They'll be putting back what they take out. They arent creating a oil that doesnt produce carbon.

There are fare better sources for fuel they should be working on, but how do they meter it to make money?

Additionally if their goal is clean up atmosphere, then clean it up and leave the oil in wells where it first came from and we took, and use another source of energy.

This is an AWESOME fuel... I have been screaming about this for months.... It is carbon neutral which means it absorbs carbon to make it and releases it when burned but NOT more than it absorbs.... So ZERO additional carbon is added... It is the ultimate solar power storage medium... provided to you in liquid form.

You grow it in the desert - you don't use up cropland (or burn crops like with ethanol) and you get 100 to 1000 times the biofuel per acre than you do with corn or soybeans... Yes, that much more efficient!

See some of my former posts for information and links!

I would have preferred this to be done on a "national level" but whatever... this needs to happen. The US could be energy independent in a few years.... even an exporter again using this technology.

REAL solutions not "paper trading" scams!

Algae Oil, A Real Solution

www.youtube.com...


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Plasma Power Plants - Another Real Solution
www.youtube.com...

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www.youtube.com...

Nobody seems to get the real importance of oil;

It is absolutely essential to our modern way of life, not as a fuel, but as a basic raw material for so many things, PLASTICS being the most important, along with rubber and a whole host of petrocheical products.
Without plastics, our civilization will come to a schreeching halt.


We will get beyond the need for oil as a fuel, but there is nothing that can be used as a substitute to create plastics and rubbers.