The science project that most piqued my father was when I was trying to discover a yeast that would digest used motor oil. The garage was a mess with open milk cartons of oil and I am not sure I ever had a single yeast cell do anything but die once it contacted the motor oil.
Fast-forward to today, and entrepreneurs are trying to find algae that can produce oil. Actually, they want algae to first convert the CO2 from a coal-powered, belching, electrical generation plant into oxygen and biomass. In principal, that is what algae do - they convert CO2 into oxygen and biomass through photosynthesis. However, in our eco-sphere they convert the CO2 produced in small quantities from human carbon units, not 1.5 MW electrical plants. From an engineering perspective, it would seem that the biggest problem is efficiently circulating the CO2 through the algae. A better algae might help, but somehow you have to bubble that CO2 quickly and efficiently through the algae tank. If you are curious, algae are about 7-10 times faster than trees with photosynthesis.
Can Solix cut the cost of making algae by 90% explores the engineering aspect of converting a power plant's green house gases into oxygen. A Durango, CO, company claims it has invented the better bubbler and decreased the cost of the algae converters. As you would expect, they have increased the surface area exposed to the sun for increased photosynthesis. However, energy enthusiasts need to lower their expectations. Solix estimates that with desert-like conditions, it can produce 1500 gallons of oil per year for each acre of bioreactors. It also estimated that an average coal plant would require almost 12 square miles of bioreactors (7500 acres).
Algae blooms: A new source of energy? tells that algae grow incredibly fast compared to other plants. As a reference, think about mowing your lawn three times a day. But, the article describes some of the problems that need to be solved. Algae can produce toxic blooms that could devastating in open-system bioreactors. Growing of algae takes considerable energy.
Marine algae try alternative lifestyle that a unique group of of blue-green marine algae can convert nitrogen in the air into solid nitrogent fertilizer. Until recently, it was believed this process only occurred at night. Scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have discovered an algae that can perform this nitrogen conversion in the presence of sunlight.
Mmm. Perhaps it is viable, but it seems to we need an order-of-magnitude improvement in the technology to be practical. That is true for most of alternative energy technology. I remember the chief technologist for General Motors pointing to the 1400 pound battery of the Volt automobile and advising reporters it is only the equivalent of a gallon of gasoline. We are going to need discipline to develop the technologies, something we have lacked for decades.
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