With so much talk about hybrid vehicles, biodiesel, our need to replace dwindling resources, and our country's reliance on fossil fuels, it seems thatnew ideas are in the works everywhere.
:?!)
One such idea may make some people a little green. I came across it while doing some reading and just had to share!
Algae!
Yes, that green slimy stuff that grows ponds. Well, apparently, the oil within the plant can be used to make biodiesel. Of course letting it grow on ponds and gathering it up from around the country isn't efficient so new ways to grow and harvest it are being tested. With those new techniques, about 100,000 gallons per year per acre can be preoduced versus 30 gallons from corn or 50 gallons from soybeans.
These green producers run on Co2. That horrible stuff that we put out constantly and that is helping to warm this world up through a nasty little thing called global warming. Ever heard of it? Yeah, I thought so. Well, the possibilities are wonderful!
This isn't just brand new. the government actually did their own research on it for 18 years (1978-1996) but decided that at the time, algae oil couldn't complete with fossil fuels cost wise. At the time, the cost of oil was $20 a barrel compared to the current price tag of over $100 per barrel I think it may be time we take another look.
Who, knows, maybe your car may be running on the fuel from the little mean green oil producing machine before too much longer. :?!)
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Of course any CO2 that gets consumed and sequestered while you grow the algae gets released back into the atmosphere when the fuel is burned.
It is kind of dubious therefore to claim that as a benefit.
But I like the rest of what you had to say. It sounds like this makes much more sense then turning food into fuel.