Is Algae the Future of Fuel?

September 09, 2014

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by Chase Ezell (Earth911) ... Currently most of those emissions are being emitted directly into our outdoor environment. Now what if there was a way to capture those emissions, use photosynthesis and turn the byproduct into usable fuels? Still sound too good to be true? Well, one such company has done just that, U.S.-based Algenol.
Using patented technology and proprietary algae, sunlight, carbon dioxide and saltwater at production levels of 8,000 total gallons of liquid fuel per acre per year, the company can produce ethanol, gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel for around $1.27 per gallon each. Algenol’s technology uses a unique two-step process that first produces ethanol directly from the algae, and then converts the spent algae biomass to biodiesel, gasoline and jet fuel. It is the only renewable fuel production process that can convert more than 85% of its CO2 feedstock into four commonly used fuels.
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Additional environmental benefits of this technology include;

the utilization of salt water for the algae and ultimate production of fresh water
reduced need for land to produce the product
no need for farmland or food feedstocks
nominal carbon footprint (consuming and recycling CO2).
Enhanced algae are not plant pests, and are non-toxic and non-invasive in the environment

“I like to think of our company as the most successful completely unknown company,” says Algenol CEO Paul Woods. Full scale commercialization for algae biofuel is Algenol’s next frontier. The company recently expanded its current headquarters in Ft. Myers, Florida, and is looking to invest approximately $50 million in a manufacturing plant for the plastics used in its modular photobioreactor bags. In addition, Algenol is in the planning stages for a commercial facility scheduled to begin building in 2015.
One of the biggest challenges the innovative company faces is none other than the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Algenol is currently producing fuels on site but cannot sell them in the market because of EPA red tape. “The EPA has no real recognized path towards what we are trying to accomplish,” added Woods. Only time will tell if algae radically changes the world of fuel production. The clock is ticking, and the sun is shining. READ MORE