Power to the pondweed – the fuel of the future
Fuel production using algae is a subject that has been in the news over the past couple of months with the announcement thatOriginOil Inc had a first customer for their single step extraction process, Australia-based MBD Energy Ltd.
You can watch a short video clip of the process on Origin Oil’s website – but be warned, it looks a bit like a lava lamp cooling down!
For those of you that don’t want to feel like you’ve been transported back to a wasted youth, there’s a video clip on this page that explains how algae is being used to make biofuels.
NCCCS BioNetwork video clip on using algae to produce biofuel
Greentech at its greenest
Brunswick Community College Center for Aquaculture and Biotechnology has been working on this project for the past four years.
Some of the equipment being used to produce biofuels in this video are tanks that were formerly used to grow algae for feeding shellfish.
This combines the recycling ethic with a safe and economical way of producing biofuels on a large scale.
And now for something for the home-brew brigade.
On a lighter note, for those of you who are into a bit of DIY, there’s a book available that shows you how to make your own algae biodiesel at home.
Gardeners with ponds may already have a plentiful supply of algae that they’d be only too pleased to get rid of!
