http://fuelpricepro.com/the-advent-of-biodiesel-algae-power/107/ Learn How to Save Money on Gas Prices Fri, 18 May 2012 15:05:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 http://fuelpricepro.com/the-advent-of-biodiesel-algae-power/107/comment-page-1/#comment-64 Mason Hamilton Mon, 25 May 2009 22:06:47 +0000 http://fuelpricepro.com/the-advent-of-biodiesel-algae-power/107/#comment-64 Actually, algae oil is not new. People have been producing oils from it since the 1930's and then as now, it was simply too expensive to compete with petroleum equivalents. Most developers like the author - think it's just a matter of finding the highest lipid producing algae species. However, those who have researched algae oil production in as serious way - not as just a stock promotion vehicle, know that the critical technical hurdles are not in choosing the right lipid producing algae. If you do any sort of serious production/economic sensitivity analysis it becomes very clear that the economic feasibility of algae oil falls apart on the costs of separating the algae from the water and then lipids from the algae, then drying the lipids and finally stabilizing the algae oil so that it can be stored for practical periods like other fuels - without breaking down. The amazing thing is the number of companies who have developed production processes that actually take more energy than what the algae lipid can produce. If they actually develop a process that has a net energy out put, they then discover that their production costs are several times that of the equivalent amount of petroleum energy. As yet I have not seen any algae oil (biodiesel) production cost numbers less than about $18/gallon (before taxes). With petroleum diesel between $2-3/gallon that's going to take a major break through processing wise. We haven't even started to discuss the fact that commercial levels of algae production will require petroleum based fertilizers - just like terrestrial plants and 95% of the world's food crops. The real bottom line here is how naive the public is about just how serious our energy problems are - and just how difficult and costly it's going to be to replace petroleum. Actually, algae oil is not new. People have been producing oils from it since the 1930’s and then as now, it was simply too expensive to compete with petroleum equivalents. Most developers like the author - think it’s just a matter of finding the highest lipid producing algae species. However, those who have researched algae oil production in as serious way - not as just a stock promotion vehicle, know that the critical technical hurdles are not in choosing the right lipid producing algae. If you do any sort of serious production/economic sensitivity analysis it becomes very clear that the economic feasibility of algae oil falls apart on the costs of separating the algae from the water and then lipids from the algae, then drying the lipids and finally stabilizing the algae oil so that it can be stored for practical periods like other fuels - without breaking down. The amazing thing is the number of companies who have developed production processes that actually take more energy than what the algae lipid can produce. If they actually develop a process that has a net energy out put, they then discover that their production costs are several times that of the equivalent amount of petroleum energy. As yet I have not seen any algae oil (biodiesel) production cost numbers less than about $18/gallon (before taxes). With petroleum diesel between $2-3/gallon that’s going to take a major break through processing wise. We haven’t even started to discuss the fact that commercial levels of algae production will require petroleum based fertilizers - just like terrestrial plants and 95% of the world’s food crops. The real bottom line here is how naive the public is about just how serious our energy problems are - and just how difficult and costly it’s going to be to replace petroleum.

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