Tech | June 16, 2008 | 11 comments

Taking biofuel crops off land and cultivating them at sea

source: http://www.scidev.net/en/opinions/take-biofuel-crops-off-the-land-and-grow-them-at-s.html

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JanforGore
The dream of tackling climate change with biofuels has been tarnished by the rush to produce them on land. Not only are there serious environmental costs, including deforestation, water use, production of greenhouse gases, and energy-efficiency limitations, but there are rising concerns about the effects on the world's poor. Already the price of food is being driven up as land is taken away from food production, increasing the cost of food and nutrition for those who can least afford it.

It is curious then that, bar a brief mention in a recent paper on sustainable biofuels by the UK-based Royal Society, the potential for biomass production at sea is largely ignored.

A vast resource

The oceans are the largest active carbon sink on the planet, covering more than 70 per cent of its surface area, and are predicted to grow as sea levels rise. Our seas also receive a larger proportion of the world's sunshine than land does, particularly in the tropical and subtropical belt where land is more scarce. To agriculturalists, the oceans are vast and grossly underused fields well-provided with sunlight and water.

The full potential for sea cultivation (mariculture) has only recently been recognised. The 'blue revolution' of freshwater aquaculture and mariculture is growing exponentially.

Statistics from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization show mariculture is strongest in Asia and the Pacific. While aquaculture production has risen sixty-fold since the early 1950s (to 59.4 million tonnes in 2004) and is worth around US$70 billion, 91.5 per cent of this was produced in Asia and the Pacific.

Similarly, 99.8 per cent of the eight million or so tonnes of seaweed produced each year, with a market of nearly US$6 billion, come from Asia and the Pacific, primarily China, Japan and Korea.

Seaweeds as fuel

Until now, seaweed has been valued mainly as food, but also as fertiliser, animal feed, and recently for a growing phycocolloid industry producing algin, agar and carrageenan. But it could also be a major fuel.
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After reading this it looks like a partial solution that could be viable. It frees up land for use to grow food, will not use up scarce water resources, and does not use up carbon resources as other energy sources do.
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11 comments // Taking biofuel crops off land and cultivating them at sea

  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  

    • Sapere_aude: Exactly. And don't think certain interests aren't behind this sudden demonization of biofuels. They have now raised their propaganda to the level where people now believe any biofuel is bad for the planet when that just isn't true. Ethanol as we know has proven to be so, but there are many we have not even begun to research which would be less water and carbon intensive like hemp and seaweed. I have simply come to the conclusion that the more people complain the more they are actually afraid to really change. They want the change, but not if it changes their own comfort level.

    • 3 years ago
  • arturogarza
  • plusaf
  • onechance
    • 0
      onechance  
    • plusaf:

      Thanks for the explanation.

      I was also thinking about the pallets of cash that were found... sitting there... and the other billions gone "missing" from blackwater contracts.

      They may be used (ie. spent) or they may be so terribly mis-managed that they are literally buried. Have you heheard about that missing money?

    • 3 years ago
  • plusaf
  • onechance
    • 0
      onechance  
    • plusaf:

      No economics background here... But based solely on my own opinion/logic/deductive reasoning, I doubt that breaks in the hand of American corporations (generally) will only serve to line their own pockets (and that of their "partners") and do little to nothing to re-invest in the economy as a whole.

      Look at Haliburton/Blackwater/etc/etc in Iraq. Their break came in the form of no-bid contracts, and our economy is in shambles... Those were TRILLIONS in "breaks" from US to THEM.

      Now we're fucking BROKE.

      No, I'd say that here (maybe not in Ireland) it won't do much good.

    • 3 years ago
  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  

    • i agree, there are definitely solutions to this and we need to have a more hopeful attitude about finding them and telling politicians and these companies that THEY have no choice now but to do what is right to preserve our species and this planet. I think there is more research that needs to be done on this as to how it would get from the sea to the tank (if plants would also have to built to refine this into fuel, where, cost, etc., and the carbon cost of that) and we will have to stand up to oil companies... But I'm ready to do it. Gas in my neigborhood has surpassed 4.25 a gallon (and that is cheap compared to down South) and I only see it going higher. I'm tired of paying money to support this war of empire.The way to end this war also is to fight for cleaner alternate energy sources now and to cut down driving as much as possible. I just hope if this catches on that these big companies don't try to take it over as well.

    • 3 years ago
  • victimofcoal
    • 0
      victimofcoal  

    • The multi billion $ oil and coal industries will fight this to the end . The corporation is required by law to put the interests of the corporation above all else. Includeing the wellbeing of humanity. This alone is proof that these corporate yes men in our government are Fascists looking for the next donation.
      Whatever happened to the days of "yes we can" I'm sick of this defeatest attitude that has become acceptable as a political platform. The whole concept of Me over We has been led by the most poorly educated. We can accomplish anything. Seaweed can be harvested 3 times per year on average. Nothing will be accomplished in this country until the media starts working for the people instead of for the corporation.

    • 3 years ago
  • sapere_aude
    • 0
      sapere_aude  

    • This is great. I'm getting tired of hearing talk against biofuels based on food shortages. Rather than making excuses to turn away from alternative energies we need to focus on actual solutions such as this.

    • 3 years ago
  • onechance
    • 0
      onechance  

    • That's awesome. Sounds good. Hope it's sustainable. Sound like it so far!

      I'm hearing Bush quack away (about "global climate change" no less...) on Democracy Now! and I think I'm going to throw up.

    • 3 years ago
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