Mean Green

When it comes to biodiesel production one of the easier methods involves the use of algae. Not only is it easier, it is also very efficient. There have been studies carried out that have shown that algae produces up to 30 times more oil than using the other different crops that are currently used for production for every acre.

The other advantages of using algae include the need for very little land to grow your crop. Also it seems that the sulfur content is non existent, they are no toxins and the fuel generated will be highly biodegradable. There are actually some special species of algae that are grown specifically for production. These contain higher levels of oil than normal, often up to 50% and they also grow really fast.

There are now many companies that use this natural resource in the production of biodiesel. Aquaflow Binomic Corporation (ABC) is based in New Zealand. They harvest their algae directly from the settling ponds of standard effluent management systems and other nutrient-rich water. Their process can actually be adopted for many other industries.

There is also Aquatic Energy, LLC which was started in 2006 to pursue their vision of producing renewable energy bio fuels in Louisiana, which is located in the Gulf Coast of the United States. Aurora Biofuels has successfully been operating a relatively small plant since August 2007 and this plant has consistently produced high quality biodiesel. They expect to have their first commercial scale facility in operation by late 2012.

Lastly I would like to mention Blue Marble Energy, which is based in Seattle in north eastern United States. Their main focus is on using wild algae and plant material to make biodiesel. However they have developed a very interesting production process that churns out fertilizer and other chemicals as a by-product.