Greenhouses containing algae are to produce biodiesel and farm food

Oct 21, 2008 07:50 GMT  ·  By
Algae-produced feed and fuel could someday replace what is now exclusively obtained from petroleum-derived products
   Algae-produced feed and fuel could someday replace what is now exclusively obtained from petroleum-derived products

The algae business could be on its way to the spotlight, as new companies emerge and quickly become very competitive on a very tight market. A good example in that direction is Greenfuel Technologies, based in Massachusetts, which recently opened its first algae-powered greenhouse, with the express purpose of creating vegetable oil to be converted to biodiesel fuel, as well as animal feed, to be used in industrial farms and other animal growing facilities.  

Their first 100-meter (330 feet) greenhouse uses solar energy and carbon emissions to grow the plants. The carbon dioxide is supplied by the nearby Holcim cement plant. Apparently, the "symbiosis" benefits both parties – the algae have all they need to grow and the plant gets positive reviews for cutting back on its pollution quantities.

Primary calculations show that a 100 hectare (250 acres) production facility could take up about 50 metric tones of carbon out of the atmosphere, which is roughly 10 percent of the yearly output of the cement factory.

  Greenfuel Technologies' greenhouses are designed in such a way that they do not use tubing of any kind, company officials say. However, they did not go into any technical details about the schematics. Another environmentally-friendly feature of their construction is that it recycles the water used to grow the algae, so the greenhouse is entirely self-sufficient. A larger form of the facility could yield an annual production of about 25,000 tones of biomass, which can be used as feed for animals or as a base for biodiesel fuel.  

The economy usually poses the most threats to the developing algae industry, especially in what concerns fluctuations in petroleum prices. With the global markets jumping from a price to another over short periods of time, oil can come cheaper today and more expensive tomorrow. That's why the time intervals in which investors could be tempted to put money in renewable fuels are very reduced, which makes it difficult for companies conducting research in the area to gather the funds they need.  

The upside is that more renewable fuel research could eventually mean less carbon emissions in the atmosphere, which could, over time, lead to a decrease of phenomena and processes associated with global warming and climate change. Officials have already acknowledged the necessity for change and some institutions in the U.S. already took steps in that direction.