tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post5762493147793264216..comments2024-03-29T06:38:18.116+00:00Comments on Energy Balance: Biofuel from Algae - Salvation from Peak Oil?Professor Chris Rhodeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12060542089215379056noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-20018149722527371892022-02-02T07:38:46.989+00:002022-02-02T07:38:46.989+00:00Know Everything About Biofuels, Types of Biofuels,...Know Everything About Biofuels, Types of Biofuels, Sources and Uses of Green Fuel Energy<br /><br /><a href="https://www.skylitbiofuel.com/" rel="nofollow">Green Fuel Energy Suppliers</a>crossgrpahicideashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16372565404638827046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-11057387233171850312021-09-25T05:05:44.727+01:002021-09-25T05:05:44.727+01:00Ensure your better health with a stronger immunity...Ensure your better health with a stronger immunity with Iwi <a href="https://iwilife.com/products/immunity" rel="nofollow">immunity capsules</a>Allan Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10841585381779352726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-60853419062819427362009-11-17T10:19:14.941+00:002009-11-17T10:19:14.941+00:00Hi June,
the interest in algae has stepped-up con...Hi June,<br /><br />the interest in algae has stepped-up considerably during the past couple of years since I wrote this article, with a lot of private companies involved.<br /><br />I saw ExxonMobil advertising their interest in the algae to fuel conversion business on tv the other night, and at the Eurostar railway terminus last weekend on my way to Paris.<br /><br />I think that the technology could provide fuel in the future once it is fully-developed but there is clearly a case for a "power-down" strategy, in which societies become more localised and hence less dependent on extensive transportation.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Chris.Professor Chris Rhodeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12060542089215379056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-12314532419229183212009-11-14T21:03:05.320+00:002009-11-14T21:03:05.320+00:00I'm glad to see that you people are very hopef...I'm glad to see that you people are very hopeful with Algae, while oil which we cannot stop overnight is slowly poisoning our planet- why don't we just plug-in something to control fossil fuel burning and mitigate it's anthropogenic effect right away then conserve the remaining oil and still preserve our way of life...<br /><br />The BlackGold SAVER<br />http://green.juneayasolalternatives.co.ccJune A. Yasolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14177604185179653768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-33869309598515124022007-09-12T09:59:00.000+01:002007-09-12T09:59:00.000+01:00Hi algoil/gary,that sounds very interesting, and i...Hi algoil/gary,<BR/><BR/>that sounds very interesting, and it sounds like you have a potentially good "location" to explore this. As far as I know there is little investigation going on in universities relatively and most organisations that are exploring algae are in industry.<BR/><BR/>Hence I suspect that there is more known about this technology than is reported in the scientific literature.<BR/><BR/>I also get the impression that it's more difficult than appears at first sight. There are academic groups in the US, including one at Harvard? They seem to be looking at long-term projects but of course university groups are always after 3-5 year project funding or even better rolling-contacts. My feeling is that if anybody is serious about it then let's try to make a batch on a large scale...<BR/><BR/>yes that's another thing, it's all fairly small scale set-up that I have seen.<BR/><BR/>I am curious Gary... how is it you are int he fortunate circumstance of having such a large glass-covered area?<BR/><BR/>I am sure there is funding that could be got for this, given its importance but the right network of people would need to be put together.<BR/><BR/>Please e.mail me if you want a more private discussion:<BR/>cjrhodes@fresh-lands.com<BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/><BR/>Chris.Professor Chris Rhodeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12060542089215379056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-32634696060494607472007-09-11T12:35:00.000+01:002007-09-11T12:35:00.000+01:00Fascinating reading, this oil from algae and i too...Fascinating reading, this oil from algae and i too think that the sooner we start the better but the question is where to start?<BR/>I have approx 60,000sqft of commercial glasshouse available to experiment with on the south coast(uk)if anyone has the knowhow or ideas on funding?<BR/>cheers,<BR/>garyalgoilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11776211041800854530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-15273516741163688492007-04-28T11:35:00.000+01:002007-04-28T11:35:00.000+01:00Hi Narsi,thanks for these interesting links and yo...Hi Narsi,<BR/><BR/>thanks for these interesting links and your comments. Yes, I feared that biodiesel from algae was not entirely cut-and-dried! It's potential is huge, but as yet it reamins an untested technology on the large scale - like so many others.<BR/><BR/>My main worry is that any alternative technology needs to be implemented against the back-drop timescale of cheap oil running in short supply, i.e. 10 years maybe?<BR/><BR/>So the sooner we get started the better!<BR/><BR/>Chris.Professor Chris Rhodeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12060542089215379056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-85554869981244217842007-04-28T11:31:00.000+01:002007-04-28T11:31:00.000+01:00Hi Martin,sorry, I missed your reply, but just to ...Hi Martin,<BR/><BR/>sorry, I missed your reply, but just to say: Good! I hope sense is seen and there is a real "push" toward biofuel technology such as this and indeed coal to liquids. I think if the biofuels can't match demand, then it will be coal that comes to our aid, but we need to really make that push now, not in 10 years say. I have a few reservations about gas to liquids, as you see from my latest posting (today, 28th of April), as it might be that in Europe and the CIS gas could begin to fall in short supply? Do you have any thought about this?<BR/><BR/>Nice to hear from you again, and glad you are still reading my efforts on here.<BR/><BR/>Chris.Professor Chris Rhodeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12060542089215379056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-89122610468711495162007-04-27T13:15:00.000+01:002007-04-27T13:15:00.000+01:00Thanks for the article...it is heartening to see a...Thanks for the article...it is heartening to see algae getting a lot of publicity, something I feel they deserve.<BR/><BR/>I co-ordinate <A HREF="http://www.oilgae.com" REL="nofollow">Oilgae</A>, a site that explores use of algae as a feedstock for biodiesel, and I can say with some amount of confidence based on my researches that algae appear to be one of the most qualified candidates for biodiesel production.<BR/><BR/>While the math certainly appears to favor algae, there are a number of issues to be overcome. These have to do with (1) choosing optimal algal strains, (2) issues faced in cultivation and harvesting (believe me there are some serious bottlenecks here), and (3) cost-effective methods to extract oil and transform it into biodiesel.<BR/><BR/>So yes, there is still a long way to go before it can be proven with certainty that algal biodiesel can be cost-effective on a large scale, but it is gratifying to see brilliant minds (not to forget VC money) getting into this field. And with institutes like MIT (Boston) getting into the act, I'm optimistic most of the above-mentioned issues will be overcome.<BR/><BR/>Time will tell if algae are our future source of energy, but for now, they certainly appear to have many of the qualifications required for the same.<BR/><BR/>Narsi from <A HREF="http://www.oilgae.com" REL="nofollow">Oilgae - Oil from Algae</A>Ecacofonixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10768279947775293065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-10071179702246241652007-03-19T08:51:00.000+00:002007-03-19T08:51:00.000+00:00Hi Martin,yes, I too am fired-up about the possibi...Hi Martin,<BR/>yes, I too am fired-up about the possibilities of making fuel from algae, which seems about the only way to make significant quantities of "biofuels" without compromising growing food. It is the one and only time I have not felt despondent about the subject since doing my first sums on the matter about a year ago!<BR/><BR/>No, there isn't any necessity to be totally self-contained and it would make sense to grow the algae further south where there is more sunshine. It has even been suggested that desert might be used for this purpose in the US, although I think evaporation of water might prove a problem.<BR/><BR/>Quite right, because it could be produced all over the world, that would effectively end cartels and the need to go to war to grab other people's oil resources.<BR/><BR/>However the oil industry is very powerful and oil is intimately tied-in with the World Bank and the IMF and so the balance of world power. Hence on this basis, I can imagine there might be some resistance to change from the petroleum status quo. But in principle anyway this does appear to be a means to cut CO2 emissions and secure an infinite supply of oil - in one felled swoop! <BR/><BR/>I still think that energy-efficiency should be pursued, rather than imagining we can simply carry as we are, even if we can make enough biodiesel to do so. There are other resources that our status quo is steadily depleting - not the least of which is "water". Perhaps that will prove to be the ultimately limiting resource, rather than oil!<BR/><BR/>However, we may thus be rescued from a sharp return to the Stone Age"!<BR/><BR/>Chris.Professor Chris Rhodeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12060542089215379056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-38244232773835491112007-03-16T11:42:00.000+00:002007-03-16T11:42:00.000+00:00Hi Marco!As you say there are various estimates. F...Hi Marco!<BR/>As you say there are various estimates. For example in the "Algaculture" section in wikipedia it says that between 5,000 and 20,000 gallons of oil per acre might be obtained from algae. In my head, that looks like, between about 40 and 160 tonnes per hectare/annum. But even that lower estimate still looks pretty good compared to biofuels, doesn't it? I'll do a bit more research and some more thinking about "algae".<BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/><BR/>Chris.Professor Chris Rhodeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12060542089215379056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508699.post-15436064189098026762007-03-15T17:42:00.000+00:002007-03-15T17:42:00.000+00:00Hello, it's me again I've found this linkhttp://ww...Hello, it's me again <BR/>I've found this link<BR/>http://www.algaefuels.org/index.html<BR/>http://www.algaefuels.org/algaepond.htm<BR/>I wonder if actually the figure of 120 tons (I think mt is metric ton, is it?) per hectare ("Our record is 120mt of Algae Oil per Ha per annum") can be realistic. Yet all good news it seems on this front.<BR/>cheers,<BR/> marcoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com