Algae Biodiesel

Algae Biodiesel Research

One of the largest problems in the U.S is how to reduce our dependence on foreign oil with regard to sustainability and environmental protection. Bio-fuels, a composition of petroleum fuels and sustainable biomass, are America’s leading alternative fuel. “Biomass is composed of cellulose which makes up about 40-50% of composition. Renewable carbon sources have a carbon content near to 45%(pure cellulose equals about 44.4%) once moisture and ash content have been taken into account. The basic elements of the cellulose are carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen, with a small content of ash” (Tributsch,105). Corn, molasses, sugar beets, switchgrass, or any plant that conducts photosynthesis are biomass. “Biomass resources are potentially the world’s largest and most sustainable energy source-a renewable resource comprising 220 billion oven-dry tons of annual primary production” (Tributsch,97). Algae are the most promising and simple biomass resource. Algae biodiesel, compared to other bio-fuels, has great potential to be the future fuel in America.

The current and most prevalent bio-fuel, commonly heard in GM commercials, is E85. E85 is an ethanol blend for “flex fuel” gasoline engines. E85 is produced from the same corn biomass as the corn we eat. E85, as a result, increased crop prices globally as the demand rose for E85 corn. The supply couldn’t meet the demand, therefore, the price of corn increased. Trying to meet the demand, corn was being planted in place of other crops, driving all other crops prices up. The food economy saw all sorts of price fluctuation in agriculturally grown products. Distribution patterns, hunger, lack of land for grains for livestock, under-utilization of agricultural land, export of crops, wars, and political polices are other impacts from non-agricultural crop growth. (Tributsch, 98)

Algae, compared to other biomass sources, require the least amount of land to produce the same volume...