Algae

Primitive plants, usually aquatic, are capable of synthesizing their own food by photosynthesis. Algae is currently being investigated as a possible feedstock for production in biodiesel, jet fuel?, and other bioproducts. Certain species producing high-value oils for the nutra-pharma markets are in actual production.

Algae is perhaps the most promising of all the feedstocks for the production of biofuels in terms of the sheer volume of oil it could produce. If research proves true, the volume of oil it could produce dwarfs that of other feedstocks. Lab scale research indicates that first-generation algae production could produce 4,000 gallons of oil per acre - versus 50 to 100 gallons for other oil crops. Scientists believe that amount could be doubled to 10,000 gallons or more per acre - the catch? It hasn't been proven at scale and research into algae as a feedstock has shown only promise and no large-scale viability - yet.

Algae for biofuels is typically grown in vats or ponds under controlled conditions that maximize output and harvesting efficiency. Another important algal growth topology, the PhotoBioReactor? (or, PBR) enables specific conditions to be more precisely tailored within a closed system environment to the rather diverse needs of the multitude of algae species. Algae oil? is produced within individual cells.

Quick Facts:

• Some species of algae could be ideally suited to biodiesel production due to their high oil content (some well over 50% oil), and extremely fast growth rates.
• Algae can be grown on marginal land, so they would not compete with food crops. They can also be grown in saltwater and wastewater.
• Over the long-term, algae cultivation facilities also have the potential to absorb or 'capture’ waste CO2 directly from industrial facilities such as power plants.
• Algae can grow as much as 100 times faster than agricultural crops.