Engineers Find Significant Environmental Impacts with Algae-Based Biofuel, Offer Alternative to Production
(Newswise) With many companies investing heavily in algae-based biofuels, researchers from the University of Virginia’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering have found there are significant environmental hurdles to overcome before fuel production ramps up. They propose using wastewater as a solution to some of these challenges.
…The U.Va. research, just published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, demonstrates that algae production consumes more energy, has higher greenhouse gas emissions and uses more water than other biofuel sources, such as switchgrass, canola and corn.
…As an environmentally sustainable alternative to current algae production methods, the researchers propose situating algae production ponds behind wastewater treatment facilities to capture phosphorous and nitrogen – essential nutrients for growing algae that would otherwise need to be produced from petroleum. READ MORE READ Abstract Supporting Information (courtesy Biofuels Digest) READ MORE (Green Inc.)
Related posts:
- Bio-Oil from Wastewater Algae
- Algae Oil Lipid Trigger Breakthrough Sustainable Green Technologies Inc. Announces Innovative Way to Increase Algae Oil Production
- NASA Uses Algae to Turn Sewage Into Fuel
- Discovery May Lower Cost of Algae Biofuel
- Dynaflow Announces DOE Small Business Innovation Grant for Cavitation-Based Algae Harvest, Oil Extract System
