# Algae = Big $$$ (maybe)



## Lycosa (Oct 16, 2006)

hmm... I figure my 10g tank is worth $10,000 then. lol


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## blissskr (Oct 9, 2007)

I remember watching a tv special about using it for energy and they also mentioned that there's a lot of research being done to use it as cheap food source as well for people lol.


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## TeamTeal (Mar 31, 2010)

algae fuel is the future!


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

Easy enough to grow algae. It's just like a greenwater bloom, but using specific types of algae selected for high oil yield.

Water + Nutrients + Intense Sunlight. Seed with desired algae. Ammoniacal nitrogen works better than KNO3.

The problem is, the oil yield isn't up to the energy demands of rupturing the algae to release the oil. Separating, drying, and refining the oil. And processing solid and liquid waste from the system to recycle nutrients and reduce effluent.

Not to mention, the ammonia used to grow the algae in the first place comes from natural gas, which entirely defeats the purpose. 

Still, it's interesting, if not practical.

I also saw an algae-powered lamp. Details were vague, but gold nanofibers were inserted into the algal cells, which conducted electricity out of the cells. The electricity was used to charge a battery, which lit a LED lamp at night. Again, not practical, but stimulates the imagination.

I always dreamed of a future where power plants _really are plants_. Genetically modified trees capable of producing harvestable electricity. Need more electricity? Plant some trees. Wouldn't that be cool!


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## sidefunk (Apr 22, 2010)

That lamp sound neat, but messy. Kinda reminds me of those lemon batteries we would make in school back in the day. 

I just love the fact that people will go out on a limb with "crazy" ideas. The technology is not economically viable now but I am rooting for them (assuming it is actually a "sustainable" way of going).

Blisskr, sound interesting with respect to the food source. Any details on what type of food products were proposed?


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## JoraaÑ (Jun 29, 2009)

spirulina


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## blissskr (Oct 9, 2007)

They were going to make it into a powder like spirulina and use it in all sorts of stuff apparently it would be highly nutritious even for us lol..


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

the downside with algae power is that they're so small. Since their biomass is so small, you'd need a pool the size of Arizona to grow enough to harvest for our consumption.


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## esotericman (Sep 29, 2008)

When the algae is stressed (no Nitrogen) it 'freaks' out and starts making huge lipid droplets. The algae can then be harvested, with the total mass of oil being huge. It's really quite neat to think about starving algae and then killing it. Then burning it.

I hate algae, but science is cool.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

What do you think oil and coal are made from? Oil is mostly old diatoms. Coal, mostly old swamps.

Both aquatic plants/algae.

Processing the algae at a large massive scale is the issue.
Honestly I think it's like the Hydrogen fuel cell BS........they do it for PR......to present the appearance they are looking for advances and green ways to find alternatives, but let's be honest, it's always about the $$$, till that is there and there is the same amount of $$ or a different market that will pay more for it, it ain't happening. 

It's a bit like Organic Food vs Regular.

So they can charge more for it, they will also get grants and tax payer money to subsidize the start as well, with little guarantee it will actually help or be cheaper.

Hardly the Free Market at work there. 
Sort of like Clean Coal technology

Algae is used at a massive scale for salt production, I think solar salt works could heat the brine pretty good, use that to boil a low boiling point material to produce electric turbine energy much cheaper and easier than this.
Seaweed/algae is a multi billion dollar industry already. I'm not so sure we could get that much out of this for oil.

Some sure, but practical compared to many other alternatives?
I'm not sold yet.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

mistergreen said:


> the downside with algae power is that they're so small. Since their biomass is so small, you'd need a pool the size of Arizona to grow enough to harvest for our consumption.


Yep, that's the issue.

Solar brine power on the other hand uses much less space and can drive turbines, they could use some of this at solar salt works right now.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

I think algae is already in business, spirulina and seaweed and algal oil...  But it would be interesting..


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Eden Marel said:


> I think algae is already in business, spirulina and seaweed and algal oil...  But it would be interesting..


You use algae products every day.
Brush your teeth?

You used algae. 
Ice cream? There's algae.
Beer that's not all hazy? Algae.

It's in lots of things.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrageenan

Fuel?
Yea....I guess........

I think good battery + small gas engine sounds best, more biking, wind and lower tech solar methods offer a good return. They squawked about wind turbines and bird issues, but oil in the gulf sort gave that group a "big shut slurpee". They are(wind) sort of noisy, we have them out in the delta in CA.

High density culture of algae in shallow larger ponds is possible, but I do not see it becoming a significant market share of the energy needs. We might get some neat food and other industrial products however(so it is good there), but for cheap green fuel, I have strong doubts.

I use energy to kill weeds, so I have to compare the cost with the alternatives like methyl bromide/iodide. It has to be close to the same cost.
Otherwise few will use it.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

Far less land and energy would be needed based on some early calculations (released of course by those involved). 

Per year yield per acre
Soy.............. 50g
Sugar Cane.... 450g
Corn............. 250g
Palm............. 650g
Algae............ 2000g

I'm just not sure how it could be done in the arid water starved regions where available space isn't where the water is available.

The other thing... genetic manipulation. I'm all for chickens with bigger breasts and pigs with more meat on the ribs but I'm not sure when it comes to developing some super strain of algae.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

fresh.salty said:


> The other thing... genetic manipulation. I'm all for chickens with bigger breasts and pigs with more meat on the ribs but I'm not sure when it comes to developing some super strain of algae.


Great, a super algae in my tank? No thank you.


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## max chavez (Aug 7, 2009)

fresh.salty said:


> Far less land and energy would be needed based on some early calculations (released of course by those involved).
> 
> Per year yield per acre
> Soy.............. 50g
> ...


What does 'g' stand for in these figures?


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## Captivate05 (Feb 23, 2010)

max chavez said:


> What does 'g' stand for in these figures?


I want to know this as well. Trust me, you get A LOT more than 250 grams of corn off an acre of land. roud:

We gross several tons of corn per acre in our fields, which feeds our cows for the year and keeps the cost of feed down a bit. It's more work, but it's a labor of love in our case. I'm still not sure how ethical it would be to genetically develop a super-strain of algae that would be difficult at best to contain. It would mean disaster to natural waterways.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

I think the g must be grams of bio-oil.

A recent article I found on the algae:

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/25695/


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## Kipley (Apr 24, 2010)

We already use algae as a food source, Kombu, Laver, Wakame and Nori are all types of Algae consumed in Japan.
The Irish are partial to the seaweed known as Carrageen, and Agar is widely used throughout the world. 
Algae (in the form of seaweed) was also an important part of many coastal tribes diets.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

Sorry on two counts regarding my previous post.

It's gallons of fuel per acre.

And I failed to post the link with the source of the info.
http://www.syntheticgenomics.com/media/emrefact.html


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

This is somewhat old news, but new information is coming out all of the time. I was watching a show a couple of days ago where they said that in the future the oil pipelines could/ will be used to transport algae. Aside from the cleaning of the pipes, I think that it would be a pretty ingenious idea. With that said, I think that wind and solar power are going to be our big producers, as well as hydroelectric from dams and "windmill" type generators placed in the ocean currents. Lithium will be a pretty valuable resource, even more so than it is now.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

invest in gold, copper, and lithium if not too late.

I think the key is to decentralize the energy sources. I don't see algae as a major player but a part of the solution. Either way, our quest for energy might wreak havoc on the environment.


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## DavidZ (Nov 17, 2009)

Several companies in Europe and Asia have been doing it for the past 10 years, and in it not that simple. The trick is how to collect it.


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