Unleashing Energy from Algae

Cosmic Revolutions

It may look like pond scum to you, but one day, the plant-like organism known as algae could rule the world.  How can such an immobile, simple-bodied eukaryote pull this off?

For one, many of these little guys are photosynthetic.  “Big deal,” you say.  “Every plant on earth can claim the same thing, from the grass in the front yard to the tree across the street.”  That’s true.  But it actually is a big deal.  Consider what happens when photosynthesis takes place:

CO2 + Water + Energy (Sunlight) = Fuel + O2

Now consider this expression in the context of the world today.  On the input side, Co2, or carbon dioxide, is a major problem, since an excess of it is the main driver of global climate change.  On the “output” side of the expression is fuel, meaning stored energy.  Of course, our civilization has a voracious…

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N.S.W in the forefront for algae fuel

Aquatic Biofuels

Renewable Energy technologies nearly always focus on new ways to develop electrical power. If you stop and think about it, wind, solar, wave, tidal, hydro and so on all produce electricity, and although of extreme relevance and importance to mitigate the effects of global warming and reduce greenhouse gases very little is being done to reduce emissions from the transport sector.

The only alternatives are electric transport (still utilizing electricity which is being produced from fossil fuels), hydrogen (not yet a viable and safe alternative) and ethanol fuel, which in some parts of the world has proven to be successful, however, it would mean a major change in engines and it would bring disadvantages to the sugar industry.

Fossil fuels are still therefore, a major part of our lives when it comes to transport; be it cars, buses, boats, planes or scooters and the Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) that…

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