If you’re a technology enthusiast, then you’ve certainly noticed the increase of interest towards new technology emphasizing on the use renewable energy and alternative fuel sources. One such source is Algae, which researchers have managed to use to produce crude oil, a process which normally takes a million years naturally but achievable within minutes in a lab!
Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have recently published a new study detailing their new process of creating crude oil from a slurry of algae. The new process consists of pouring a mixture of water and algae into a reactor, which is essentially a giant pressure cooker extracting the oil from the algal lipids to produce crude oil in less than an hour. Byproducts of this process include a mixture of water and phosphorus which can be recycled to produce more algae. Previous attempts at producing crude oil from algae required species containing high lipid concentrations and drying them in order to extract the oils within. This process pioneered in the 1970’s was not popular due to its complexity and difficulty to produce. The new process presents a much more efficient means of procuring the sought after resource as it decreases the need for additional resources and time.
(source: flickr commons)
So why is the research on algal bio-fuel so exciting that it has even caught the eyes of mainstream media? Well, because of its ease of production, and potential as a source of renewable energy. The production of Algae, or Algaeculture is a growing field within the study of renewable energy. Algae as a species can grow almost anywhere and does not require fertile land to grow; Common algae species can contain up to 50 percent of oil and can be grown within a tank of water. This is efficient as Algae do not require much land to be grown and only require a source of light. Growing Algae can also be Eco-friendly as they are known to capture carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.
Algae Photobioreactor (Source: Wikipedia Commons)
As the technology towards better renewable energy improves we may be able to see an increase in use and production of bio-fuel from algae. Once it is economical to do so, it is predicted that an area the size of new mexico can provide for the entirety of current U.S. petroleum consumption and unlike other potential bio-fuel sources like corn, it won’t need to occupy any fertile land at all!
– Felix Tang –
