Green Fuel From Pond Scum?
source: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45016/story.htm
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- JanforGore
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Green Fuel Solution Lurks in Pond Scum
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US: October 26, 2007
NEW YORK - A plant scientist from West Texas believes one of the oldest, simplest life forms can help ease some of today's toughest energy and environment problems.
Algae converts carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, into a vegetable oil that Glen Kertz, a plant cell expert who used to work for oil companies, hopes can be economically turned into the renewable motor fuel biodiesel.
Algae doesn't need prime farmland, vast quantities of fertilizer, or large harvest vehicles to be grown and harvested, unlike corn which is the main US feedstock for ethanol, the top alternative motor fuel.
The single-celled organisms, which are among the world's fastest growing plants, can prosper in small bags of water under the light of greenhouses.
"The more light I have, the more energy that I can capture and put back into the transportation system," Kertz, CEO of private company Valcent Products, said in an interview. He says he can quickly grow algae, sometimes known as pond scum, anywhere but a rainy place like Seattle. /
FUNDS VENTURE IN
Venture capitalists are racing to invest in alternative energy sources as finding crude cheaply in places friendly to the United States becomes harder, oil prices hit record levels edging toward US$100 a barrel, and worries about global warming escalate. /
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- groups:
- Green, Earth and Science
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- tags:
- Green, Earth and Science, Environment, Climate Crisis, 2 more
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JanforGore
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twodee:
I agree.There have already been "tortilla riots" in Mexico due to using corn for biofuel instead of using it to feed people. With an expanding population we need to find alternate sources for biofuels that will be kinder not only on our Earth, but also not a threat to the lives of other species. I too am interested in algae, but for me switchgrass is what I believe is the perfect biofuel. And there are certain types that are also not water intensive which makes it look all the more viable in a world where water resources will be strained to the limit. - 4 years ago
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JanforGore
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twodee
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corn ethanol should NOT be used as fuel. Corn is food and we are not feeding everyone on the planet yet. I am very interested in the use of algae. I look forward to how this develops.
- 4 years ago
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twodee
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JanforGore
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Yes, I agree with you. To me it is just interesting to see people coming up with different ways of going about this. But absolutely, we definitely need to think about the end result of its use, especially corn ethanol.
- 4 years ago
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JanforGore
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chicklets2040
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What really concerns me on this topic and also the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel is that both have dangerous byproducts. Especially ethanol. We really need to look at what the end result is before we hop onto this band wagon or that band wagon.
- 4 years ago
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chicklets2040
