Biodiesel algae are a type of water-growing plant that has been cultivated for the purpose of producing biodiesel. Because of the high oil content of the algae, this relatively new product is possible. Governments and scientists around the world are heavily researching and investing in biodiesel algae as they search desperately for a sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels.
You’ve seen algae at work if you’ve ever seen a pond covered in greenish plant material. This plant, which includes seaweeds and kelp, grows at an incredible rate and can quickly spread across large bodies of water. One of algae’s main advantages is their rapid growth and repopulation; they can regrow much faster than other oil-producing crops used for biofuel, such as canola or soybeans.
The plant is harvested and processed to extract the oil, which is then used to make biodiesel. Extraction is usually accomplished through mechanical expelling methods or a chemical process that separates the oil from the rest of the algae material. The easier part of using biodiesel algae to make fuel is extracting the oil; the more difficult part is managing and controlling the plant’s growth.
Early research efforts, such as the Aquatic Species Program of the United States Department of Education in 1978, used open water sources as growing grounds for biodiesel algae. Although algae can spread to almost any body of water, its growth in open ponds is unpredictable and uncontrollable. Companies that grow biodiesel algae today typically use test tube methods, such as photobioreactors, to grow the algae in a contained, contaminant-free environment. Because the plant requires concentrated carbon dioxide to thrive, some experts recommend cultivating it near power plants that emit a lot of carbon dioxide.
Algal fuel is one of the many green fuels and alternatives to traditional oil sources that are becoming more popular. Unlike some other plants used to make biofuel, algae appears to have few issues with its production. Crops like soybeans and corn are expensive and polluting to convert into biodiesel, and with many countries suffering from severe malnutrition and starvation, critics question whether we should be using valuable land to grow fuel crops rather than food crops. Algae is unique in that it can be grown in a lab, in seawater, or even in waste water.
The world is experiencing an oil crisis at the dawn of the twenty-first century, owing to rising global warming, environmental concerns, and a serious depletion of natural fossil fuel reserves. A shift in industry has resulted in a greater search for sustainable, low-cost alternatives to the fossil fuel that powers our cars, factories, and much of our world in recent years. While the use of biodiesel algae is still in its early stages, it has attracted a large number of investors and scientists. If you’ve ever scowled at pond scum, you might want to reconsider: that slimy green substance could hold the key to restoring the environment and saving the planet.