Mean Green

Great strides are being made in the biofuel industry with a very exciting development in Australia in the search for a viable second generation solution with a biocrude that has been produced from green waste and paper.

The development of an extremely stable biocrude by the CSIRO and Monash University in Australia by using green waste such as forest thinnings, household waste and crop residues has made the prospect of biofuel production that significantly reduces carbon emissions possible. Dr Steven Loffler of CSIRO Forest Biosciences says, “the oil that we’ve made is both stable and also PH neutral, so the advantage of that is that it can be held in storage for as long as it needs to before further processing”.

The plant wastes being targeted for conversion into biofuels contain chemicals known as lignocellulose, which is increasingly favoured around the world as a raw material for the next generation of bio-ethanol as they are renewable and potentially greenhouse gas neutral. Materials such as lawn clippings, tree trimmings and other materials that households already put in their green bins for removal by local councils. When you consider that these wastes are already being collected on a weekly or fortnightly basis, then the fact that they will not end up as landfill is an immediate bonus. Currently there is between 1 and 2 million tonnes going into landfill in Australia alone.

The first generation biofuels come with so many negatives with destructive rainforest clearing and long distance haulage threaten to prove more harmful than the fuel they’re replacing. Biocrude production addresses many of these problems.

The plan is to operate from small regional facilities close to the source of the bio-material converting it into the crude oil and then shipping the crude which would be much more efficient and would produce much less greenhouse gas emissions than moving the bulkier solid material to a large central facility.

It’s still very early days in this process and one of the unanswered questions that will be a huge factor towards the success or failure of the project is how much the biocrude will cost to produce. At this stage no cost analysis has been performed although Dr Loffler believes that it will at least be as competitive as current crude production.

The prospects look very promising for the creation of a greenhouse gas friendly biofuel as long as the creation of local refining facilities acutally become reality.

We have all Heard of the Green Energy Initiatives of our new President Obama. But did you also know it has sparked a gold rush of sorts? Grant money is available by the truckloads to inspire would be inventors and entrepreneurs to enter the green fuels industry. With all the focus on the next generation feedstock for fuel Algae is a front runner.

1. Algae Oil Prices are rising

The Algae race is on, DARPA has been doling out cash for algae oil and the price is on the rise. Exxon just invested 600 million dollars in their own algae project. Currently commercial production of algae oil is minimal at best, but the oil is still needed for further research purposes. So if you have it, you can sell it.

2. Algae Cake is Being Used for Bio-Ethanol

The Algae cake is now being looked at for own worth as it applies to bio-ethanol. The process of fermentation is used to produce this bio-ethanol. With the price of fuel on the rise again this process offers investors robust returns. Algae grow fast. Algae can be grown especially well in desert states and the fermentation process is already well documented in the beer industry.

3. Companies are Investing

Green companies that want to diversify their holdings and create solutions for the next generation of renewable transportation fuels are investing heavily. Countries from all over the world are calling our office to look for advice on the best photo-bioreactors to buy. Our best advice is to make one, start tinkering at home or at the shop and come up with a simple design which will please investors, grow algae and stand up to harsh weather conditions hot or cold.

These are certainly great reasons to start making algae photobioreactors at home. Soon this technology will be in high demand, especially designs that will be easy to implement, low cost, and offer decent return on investment.

Algae Biofuel will play a very important part in meeting the worlds growing energy need, Algae has a place in not only our past, but in our future as well.