Qingdao algae points to a green future
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| 'Light crude oil produced by algae' |
The sailing sport has always flown its green credentials from the masthead and China has been promising a green Olympics so journalists world-wide have been having a 'green' field day.
However the sheer volume of the algae product underlines the fact that algae may be the environments greatest friend in the 21st century. In a manner similar to plants, algae convert solar energy, carbon dioxide and water to valuable chemical energy via photosynthesis.
The green algae being harvested in Qingdao is the same one used as animal food and as a green salad with sea food in Japan.
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Workers clean up blue-green algae from the sea as windsurfers sail behind, at Qingdao, the host city for sailing events at the 2008 Olympic Games, in eastern China’s Shandong province Tuesday June 24, 2008 (Photo: AP Photo/EyePress) - |
The chemical energy is stored in algae as lipid oils, which can be converted into biodiesel. The residual algae de-oiled cake is a high protein matter and can be used as animal/ cattle feed, organic fertilizer and nutritional supplements.
Algae farming technologies have already been used to capture and recycle emitted carbon dioxide from coal fired power station flue gases in small scale operations using the types of algae that thrive in the hot water pools in Yellowstone National park and now and around the world. There are more than 30 start up companies racing to convert carbon dioxide to bio-diesel.
Although the algal fuels refined from it (algae) emit as much carbon dioxide as conventional fuels, the companies say the emissions are offset by the photosynthetic process that uses sunlight, water and C02 to create algal crude. They say, at the very worst, algae fuels are carbon neutral.
Algae product avoids the food for fuel debate that has plagued crop-based biofuel because it uses algae and works on non-arable land with non-potable water.
While the coal industry around the world says that carbon dioxide capture and underground storage is still at least a decade away, the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Qingdao green algae is testament to the growth power of algae. It seems that power station stack fuelled algae farms could be one day be as green as the 2008 Olympic sailing course.
by Bob Maxwell
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