Could West Texas algae curb oil dependence?

Houston Chronicle ^ | Oct. 7, 2007 | Brett Clanton

[According2RecentPollsAirIsGood]

ANTHONY — A year ago, this dusty patch of land near the New Mexico border contained little more than dirt and the odd sprig of alfalfa. Today, it is home to a $3 million laboratory that is crackling with activity.

The hi-tech lab was built for a peculiar but possibly revolutionary purpose: to explore ways algae can be used to reduce the world's dependence on oil.

An arid stretch of West Texas might seem like a strange place to study the tiny water-borne plants, but the work is more than just a big idea.

The two companies behind it, El Paso's Valcent Products and Canadian alternative energy firm Global Green Solutions, have developed a system they claim will allow for cheap mass production of algae in just about any corner of the world.

Such a breakthrough, though still untested on a wide scale, could greatly accelerate the expansion of renewable fuels like biodiesel and ethanol because the oil extracted from algae can be used to make those fuels, said the companies who own the lab through a joint venture called Vertigro.

Today, those fuels are seen as having limited potential to curb oil consumption because they rely on oils from food crops like corn and soybeans, whose prices are rising. But algae could change the equation.

"This market is enormous," said Global Green CEO Doug Frater. "And it's waiting for us."

[mbraynard]

cool stuff. Very credible.

[dblshot]

On ships seawater seems to get into everthing plus the tank cooling from the sea temp and high humidity create plently of water in the fuel tanks that is well agitated. as fuel oil and water king it was my job to get clean fuel to the propulsion and auxiliary plants. Land based systems are much easier to deal with. I wrote a short story once about a genetically created bug that ate garbage and excreated oil. Worked great until it got out of the tank and ate Brooklyn.

[tubebender]

But the biggest benefit: Algae farms can be built virtually anywhere — a point Vertigro hoped to illustrate by locating in West Texas.

How much water will it take to run one of these plants?

[tubebender]

I can’t wait for the next Casino Video game... TEXAS GREEN TEA!

Invest in the next Texas oil fields now...

[Zerodown]

How much longer need we live through this mind-numbing hosssheep about alternative fuel sources?

The world is awash in crude oil. If some intelligent awl man in our government who used to be in the awl bidness hisself would get it together to increase our refining capacity, we could all go back to 440 Hemis, the motor God intended to power American vehicles.

I was naive when I voted for GW, I thought an intelligent oil policy would be pretty darn high on a Texan's to do list.

[jas3]

But I’m very suspicious of the notion that the energy content of algae oil is equal to that of crude.

Petroleum comes from saltwater algae, coal from freshwater plants. Algae can grow in the open ocean, does not need land, freshwater, or fertilizer. Algae can be optimized to make diesel, alcohol, or emit hydrogen gas. In addition algae can be used absorb pollution.

The leftists are starting to get worried about this, referring to algae as pond scum and algae researchers as low on the food chain. Unlike ethanol this threatens their dreams of an imposed communist lifestyle.

Petroleum may come from saltwater algae (or it may not), but regardless, I'm betting it takes a lot longer than one year to get a gallon of crude. Thus I would bet the energy content in a gallon of crude far exceeds the projections of the energy content in a gallon of bioengineered algae oil.

Yeah...the lefties are always worried about consumption of energy. From their perspective all consumption is morally evil. And also, they lose their ability to control others as the price of energy falls over time, despite our species using more and more per capital every year.

God I hate the lefites...

jas3

[El Sordo]

For now.

But that situation is bound to change.

[SouthTexas]

A month ago, we had algae growing in the front yard and now, it’s raining again.

[Rick_Michael]

I wouldn’t bet on this now, but given another 5-15 years...it could definitely be an option.

[gnarledmaw]

on, pls....

[RightWhale]

Entire generations will come and go before that maxim has to be dumped. Any alternative will cost more. Been true since the Arab oil embargo.