Scientists Manufacture Biofuel from Algae in Minutes

Interesting. Although it takes a lot of energy to make, so does oil exploration and drilling.

Engineers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) announced that they have created a process that takes an enriched stew of algae and turns it into crude oil which, in turn, can be made into a usable bio-fuel. The development was announced in a recent issue of the journal Algal Research.

In a press release, PNNL described, "In the PNNL process, a slurry of wet algae is pumped into the front end of a chemical reactor. Once the system is up and running, out comes crude oil in less than an hour, along with water and a byproduct stream of material containing phosphorus that can be recycled to grow more algae."

I wonder when the oil companies attacks will start? Are we on the verge of creating our own oil? Does this change the "fossil fuel" argument?

algae oil

ColoradoJens

The military has been testing biofuel mixes, including an algae based fuel for several years. Congress has essentially shut them down, saying that until they can get the biofuel lower than the cost of oil, then they are banned from using it.

reply to post by ColoradoJens




Good subject OP star flag. Yeah I have known about them trying to produce fuel from algae for a while it's good to see that they're getting closer to making it affordable. Of course the oil industry is going to try to blockaded it wherever they can. Hope you don't mind but I put the video from your OP above. Below is a video of another technology that is already affordable in fact if each state adopted it it would make the state money. It would also cut down on landfills and produce fuel about a dollar a gallon. Makes you wonder why are we not already doing it everywhere.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Indeed this has been the goal...the new breakthrough is more cost efficient than it has been so we are getting somewhere...

"Not having to dry the algae is a big win in this process; that cuts the cost a great deal. Then there are bonuses, like being able to extract usable gas from the water and then recycle the remaining water and nutrients to help grow more algae, which further reduces costs," Elliot said

CJ

reply to post by Grimpachi


Awesome Grimpachi and thanks for posting the videos. I agree with your post - shouldn't we be pumping millions of $ into this research and throwing our weight behind it? It seems to make perfect sense - then again that might be what is holding it back (sic).

CJ

reply to post by ColoradoJens


The Air Force has certified almost all their aircraft for biofuels, and the Navy has certified a number of their conventional ships to use them. So if they can get the cost down below the cost per barrel of oil, then Congress (if they don't bring up any new objections) theoretically can't say anything and they can start using biofuels.

There was another thread about this recently. Didn't find it but yes this is very interesting. It would surely change the whole economics of the world. That is the reason I believe it won't be pursued for a long time or ever.

reply to post by ColoradoJens


I ordered some blue green algea to try. It's called something like spiralellum or whatever. It's suppose to be a superfood. Like you could live apparently just off that alone as it has so many nutrients in it. got it from nuts.com about the cheapest place to buy cool stuff like that online

The Fischer–Tropsch process can use just about any organic feedstock like wood. trash. sewage, crop waste, to make oil.

The only problem is the environmentalist do not like it because it still puts out greenhouse gasses even though its would eliminate most of the landfill and sewage in rivers across the US and the methane from them that is a much stronger greenhouse gas.

Even most hazmat compounds can be used as feed stock eliminating most hazmat dumps.

While it cost about the same amount to make oil by the Fischer–Tropsch process as pump it from the ground.
the cost benefits of the elimination of landfill and sewage chemicals and drugs from sewage treatment plants
makes it a cheap source of oil.

This process has been used since the 1930s and the Germans used it as a major fuel source during WW2