The Oil Drum: Europe

No, I am not referring to the IEA or CERA. As a change of pace away from the depressing geopolitical news concerning potential oil shocks, this story focuses on bioreactors and oil from algae farming. The title is taken from the story of the same name broadcast by Living On Earth (LOE) for the week of January 13th.

Pond scum just might be the answer to solving the CO2 woes of the industrial age. Host Bruce Gellerman visits with Dr. Isaac Berzin, founder of GreenFuel Technologies Corporation. Berzin is working on a prototype that uses algae to convert power plant emissions into biofuels.

Here's the audio for the interview (mp3). The primary issue for algae-based fuels is stated succinctly here [Biofutur, No. 255/May 2005 by Olivier Danielo].

In the context of climactic changes and of soaring prices for a barrel of petroleum, biofuels are now being presented as a renewable energy alternative. Presently, research is being done on microscopic algae which are particularly rich in oils and whose yield per hectare is considerably higher than that of sunflower or rapeseed. At the industrial level, bioreactors which use microalgae to trap CO2 and NOx [NO2, nitrogen oxide] are in active development in the United States....

Some species of algae are so rich in oil that it accounts for over 50% of their mass. NREL [National Renewable Energy Laboratory] has selected approximately 300 species of algae, as varied as the diatoms (genera Amphora, Cymbella, Nitzschia, etc.) and green algae (genera Chlorella in particular)....

Diatoms, or Bacillariophytes, are unicellular, microscopic algae.... These organisms are widespread in salt water, where they constitute the largest portion of phytoplankton biomass, but they are also found in freshwater. There exist approximately 100,000 known species around the world. More than 400 new specimens are described each year. Certain species are particularly rich in oils.

It's worth noting that NREL, which has been active in algae farming research, has had its funding cut in the most recent federal budget round. However, Greenfuel Technologies anticipates a profitable privatized business for bioreactors. Let's take a look at the true promise of algae farming in the context of high oil prices and climate change.