Bioethanol Algae
There is a group of researchers that recently launched a proposal to cultivate massive amounts of seaweed and / or algae.
The project claims that they occupy about ten thousand kilometers of seaweed farm and they estimated that the farm would be able to produce bioethanol from algae, as much as 20 million kiloliters or 5.
3 billion gallons of bioethanol per year.
This amount is massive, like a third of Japanese consumption on fuel per year.
Seaweed / Algae have already been proven to be capable of becoming an alternative option for producing bio fuel.
The thing is, most of the bio fuel of today are produced or extracted out of corn and sugar cane which has their own disadvantage and the ratio of the crops and the amount of ethanol that it produces are not balanced.
This leads to a number of different problems.
The proposal stated a specific type of seaweed for the production of bio fuel; the Sargasso seaweed (hondawara).
Why is this specific choice? This is due to the fact that the Sargasso seaweed grows in an unbelievable fast rate.
This would be then processed by floating bio reactors.
Facilities that would use enzyme to breakdown the seaweed into sugar which would then be processed and be converted to ethanol.
This process will take place on the sea and would be then transported to land by tankers.
Seaweeds / algae have two fundamental components that greatly increase the researcher's interest in producing ethanol out of it.
These seaweeds work to remove some of the salt flowing in the sea.
Also, another prospect is the sea in Scotland where there is a rough coastline and very clean seas.
They would then examine that part and check if it is feasible for seaweed farming and if it would be able to sustain the extraction of natural elements to produce a new clean source of energy.
Seaweeds indeed would play a giant role in the search for ways to solve the dwindling environmental status due to the massive dependency of every country to fossil fuel that is considered as the number pollutant that kills the planet.
Why is it advantageous to use algae / seaweed? - It doesn't need soil or freshwater and other producer substances.
It is naturally occurring in the sea and there would be no imbalance that would happen when it is harvested.
- We would be able to avoid the food price hike if we would utilize this new technology for we will no longer be taking away lands to farm crops.
- Algae / seaweed grow unbelievably faster.
Around 10 times as fast as sugar cane.
It is actually the fastest growing crop known to man.
The project claims that they occupy about ten thousand kilometers of seaweed farm and they estimated that the farm would be able to produce bioethanol from algae, as much as 20 million kiloliters or 5.
3 billion gallons of bioethanol per year.
This amount is massive, like a third of Japanese consumption on fuel per year.
Seaweed / Algae have already been proven to be capable of becoming an alternative option for producing bio fuel.
The thing is, most of the bio fuel of today are produced or extracted out of corn and sugar cane which has their own disadvantage and the ratio of the crops and the amount of ethanol that it produces are not balanced.
This leads to a number of different problems.
The proposal stated a specific type of seaweed for the production of bio fuel; the Sargasso seaweed (hondawara).
Why is this specific choice? This is due to the fact that the Sargasso seaweed grows in an unbelievable fast rate.
This would be then processed by floating bio reactors.
Facilities that would use enzyme to breakdown the seaweed into sugar which would then be processed and be converted to ethanol.
This process will take place on the sea and would be then transported to land by tankers.
Seaweeds / algae have two fundamental components that greatly increase the researcher's interest in producing ethanol out of it.
- Fucoidan - scientists have proven that enzymes are capable of breaking down these components into sugar.
- Alginic Acid - science is still researching for ways to break this baby down.
These seaweeds work to remove some of the salt flowing in the sea.
Also, another prospect is the sea in Scotland where there is a rough coastline and very clean seas.
They would then examine that part and check if it is feasible for seaweed farming and if it would be able to sustain the extraction of natural elements to produce a new clean source of energy.
Seaweeds indeed would play a giant role in the search for ways to solve the dwindling environmental status due to the massive dependency of every country to fossil fuel that is considered as the number pollutant that kills the planet.
Why is it advantageous to use algae / seaweed? - It doesn't need soil or freshwater and other producer substances.
It is naturally occurring in the sea and there would be no imbalance that would happen when it is harvested.
- We would be able to avoid the food price hike if we would utilize this new technology for we will no longer be taking away lands to farm crops.
- Algae / seaweed grow unbelievably faster.
Around 10 times as fast as sugar cane.
It is actually the fastest growing crop known to man.
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