From Algae to Oil

The race to find alternatives to oil has no clear winner. Corn-derived ethanol competes with food supplies, biodiesel gells up in cold temperatures, and other alcohol fuels provide only half the energy of gasoline.

We’ve spoken before on this program about the promise of biodiesel made from algae. It is easy to grow. It absorbs carbon dioxide and noxious emissions that contribute to air and water pollution. The challenge to date is how to process the useful material from algae in a large scale, cost-effective way.

Right now, a public-private venture is planning a new algae biorefinery to open on Cape Cod next year. The company Plankton Power aims to commercially produce 100 million gallons of algae oil within the next three years. That is, if everything goes to plan. We continued our Next Green Thing series today with Curtis Felix, CEO of Plankton Power.

More information on Plankton Power's project

Low-tech Magazine: Leave the algae alone

Greentech Media: Exaggerated Claims in Algae? 250,000 Gallons an Acre?

(Photo by Akshay Davis via Flickr/Creative Commons)