Algae Turns Carbon Dioxide Into Ethanol Fuel

[Earth Day Network]

Dow Chemical and Algenol Biofuels announced on Monday that they are going to build a demonstration plant that, if successful, will use algae to convert carbon dioxide into ethanol, which would be used for vehicle fuel. The potential for a new profitable venture are not lost on these two companies. The ethanol produced by this process will be sold as fuel and plastics in order to replace natural gas and thus reduce global emissions.

Also, this process produces oxygen, which could potentially be used to burn coal in power plants cleanly. Coal plants primarily emit large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which the algae can absorb. As a result the exhaust emitted from these coal facilities will be recycled and the algae will be able to grow exponentially increasing the amount of fuel produced. Not only is ethanol a cleaner fuel than natural gas, but it is also less expensive. According to estimates made by Paul Woods, chief executive of Algenol, ethanol fuel could cost as little as $1 a gallon.

The algae are grown in bioreactor troughs, which are covered with plastic and filled with salt water. The water is saturated with carbon dioxide, which the algae feed on. Through photosynthesis, the algae convert the carbon dioxide and water into ethanol, which is sold to other companies.

Currently, the company has forty facilities in Florida and has plans to increase the number of bioreactors to 3,100 at a site in Dow’s Freeport, Texas. Algenol and its partners estimate that these plants will be able to produce 100,000 gallons of fuel a year. Fuel is an ever-pressing matter around the world. With oil deposits becoming scarce, this process may be one part of the solution to our greenhouse emissions problem.

For More Information Check Out: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/business/energy-environment/29biofuel.html