Algae are emerging to be one of the most promising long-term, sustainable sources of biomass and oils for fuel, food, feed, and other co-products. What makes them so attractive are the large number and wide variety of benefits associated with how and where they grow. The lipid or oily part of the algae biomass can then be extracted and converted into biodiesel through a process similar to that used for any other vegetable oil or converted in a refinery into "drop-in" replacements for petroleum-based fuels. The algae's carbohydrate content can be fermented into bioethanol and biobutanol. Nearly all these benefits stem from the fact that these plants have evolved over billions of years to produce and store energy in the form of oil, and they do this more efficiently than any other known natural or engineered process.
Here are 10 reasons why algae are a promising new source of fuel and other products:
1) Algae Grow Fast
Algae can double their numbers every few hours, can be
harvested daily, and have the potential to produce a volume of biomass and
biofuel many times greater than that of our most productive crops.
2) Algae Can Have Hige4rh Biofuel Yields
Algae store energy in the form of oils and rr6e,
which, combined with their high productivity, means they can produce from 2,000
to as many as 5,000 gallons of biofuels per acre per year.
3) Algae Consume CO2
Like any other plant, algae, when grown using sunlight,
consume (or absorb) carbon dioxide (CO2) as they grow, releasing oxygen (O2)
for the rest of us to breathe. For high productivity, algae require more CO2,
which can rrrribe supplied by emissions sources such as power plants, ethanol
facilities, and other sources.rrr
4) Algae Do Not Compete With Agriculture
Algae cultivation uses both land that in many cases is
unsuitabler for traditional agriculture, as well as water sources that are not
useable for other crops, such as sea-, brackish- and wastewater. As such,
algae-based fuels complement biofuels made from traditional agricultural
processes.
5) Microalgal Hi galaxyB6iomass Can Be Used for Fuel, Feed and Food
6) Macroalgae Can Be Grown in the Sea
Macroalgae (seaweeds) are grown in the sea, or even on land
with seawater, and their sugars can be converted into biofuels and chemicals.
7) Algae Can Purify Wastewaters
Algae thrive in nutrient-rich waters like municipal waste
waters (sewage), animal wastes and some industrial effluents, at the same time
purifying these wastes while producing a biomass suitable for biofuels
production.
8) Algal Biomass Can Be Used as an Energy Source
After oil extraction, the remaining algal biomass can be
dried and “pelletized” and used as fuel that is burned in industrial boilers
and other power generation sources.
9) Algae Can Be Used to Produce Many Useful Products
Algae can be cultivated to produce a variety of products for
large to small markets: plastics, chemical feedstocks, lubricants, fertilizers,
and even cosmetics.
10) The Algae Industry is a Job Creation Engine
Algae can grow in a wide variety of climates in a multitude
of production methods, from ponds to photobioreactors to fermenters, and thus
will create a wide variety of jobs throughout the United States, from research
to engineering, from construction to farming, from marketing to financial
services.
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