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Rather than growing algae in expensive, enclosed reactors, they plan to test growing algae outdoors in ponds. Algae, in theory, has the potential of producing 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of fuel per acre, higher than most other forms of biomass by a wide margin. Algae can also grow in brackish water on marginal land, so [...] A Department of Agriculture reports suggests that after two decades of research into cellulosic ethanol with no technical breakthroughs, that algae biofuel and oil crops should get the funding. One problem with cellulosic is the logistics in getting hundreds of tons of agricultural waste (or crops grown specifically for ethanol) on a daily basis to [...] A Montana State grad student looked at 20 year old algae biofuel research, experimented with it, and devised a way to double the amount of oil produced in half the time – a 4x increase. The secret is adding baking soda, just the right amount at just the right time. [...] A Swedish architect envisions covering the Santa Monica freeway with solar panels. It would produce power locally, saving on transmission loss, lessen the noise for nearby residents, and provide power for EV charging stations. And maybe even capture exhaust fumes and use them to grow algae for fuel. [...] ASU researchers say they are three to five years from large-scale production, a breakthrough that could eventually reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Arizona, with its plentiful sunshine, available land, and excess of wastewater, is ideal for growing algae. Their agricultural wastewater tends to be high in nutrients and salt, which makes it [...] Instead of sequestering or storing CO2 underground so it won’t be emitted, biofuel manufacturers are using it as a feedstock to grow algae. This most definitely a win-win situation. The algae is then used to create biofuel. The cement industry is also using CO2 as a feedstock. With carbon-capture industries like these gaining ground, [...] The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today the investment of up to $24 million for three research groups to tackle key hurdles in the commercialization of algae-based biofuels This is welcome news. But really, if we want a renewable energy future shouldn’t this instead be $240 million or $2.4 billion? Oh, I forgot, the [...] OriginOil claims to have a new, highly efficient method to create biofuel algae that is up to 20x more efficient. It uses way less acreage and water than previous methods. Someone, someday will figure out how to do algae biofuel on a commercial scale and it will change the planet. [...] In stunning news, DARPA says their cost per gallon for jet fuel from alage is “headed towards $1 a gallon.” Wow. The US Air Force wants its entire fleet of jet fighters and transport aircraft to test-fly a 50-50 blend of petroleum-based fuel and other sources – including algae – by next year. What’s [...] Reader Jayson Anders comments to our post, The big boys of industry move into next-generation algae fuels‘ There are many people developing open source algae reactors and processing info on the web. Check out algaegeek.com as a great example. |  | ||||
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