In my last blog I discussed my curiosity with biofuel and
it’s possible ability to replace fossil fuels. I decided that I should discuss
biofuels and give a background on the various types. So I completed a quick
search and found the website biofuel.org.uk
which clearly explains almost all biofuels, what they are made from, and gives a lot
of incite as to how feasible they are for sustainable or green energy. After
reviewing the website I realized that there is far too much information to try to
summarize on this blog so, I linked what I feel is the most informative page
for people who may not know a tremendous amount about biofuels. This page
clearly describes the two genres of biofuel, which are simply first generation
and second generation biofuels. The major difference separating them is first
generation fuels are not green/sustainable because they are made from plants
and materials that are directly used in food production. An overuse of these
resources could be troublesome for the food supply and therefore have, for the
most part, been ruled out as a sustainable fuel. I had never thought about this before. I own a small biodiesel processor and I have made biodiesel before but, all of the oil that I processed was waste vegetable oil which is a food based product that is becoming more and more valuable as the population grows. First generation fuels are definitely not a good choice for a long term solution.
Second generation fuels are made from non-food plants, but they are still very premature in their development and include Cellulosic Ethanol, Fischer-Tropsch fuels, Biohydrogen, Algae and others. The same web page also provides a table listing each fuel, what it is made from, its energy density and its green house gas production. Second generation fuels are certainly the best option but what is the best choice? I noticed on the table in the previously link that algae showed a possibility of being able to produce 10 to 100 times more oil per acre than any other crop.
I started searching the internet and found a company named Solix started growing algae in 2009 in southwestern Colorado and its headquarters are now located in Fort Collins. I looked through their website and found their "About Algae" page to be very well designed to explain all of the benefits of algae but never really discusses how they grow it. This Seemed like good marketing tactics for prospective investors. I am left still wondering about algae production. The first page advertised algae's large oil yields but the Solix website did not assist my research attempt at try to prove it also, I still do not know how cost effective it is or what repercussions or pitfalls it may have.
Second generation fuels are made from non-food plants, but they are still very premature in their development and include Cellulosic Ethanol, Fischer-Tropsch fuels, Biohydrogen, Algae and others. The same web page also provides a table listing each fuel, what it is made from, its energy density and its green house gas production. Second generation fuels are certainly the best option but what is the best choice? I noticed on the table in the previously link that algae showed a possibility of being able to produce 10 to 100 times more oil per acre than any other crop.
I started searching the internet and found a company named Solix started growing algae in 2009 in southwestern Colorado and its headquarters are now located in Fort Collins. I looked through their website and found their "About Algae" page to be very well designed to explain all of the benefits of algae but never really discusses how they grow it. This Seemed like good marketing tactics for prospective investors. I am left still wondering about algae production. The first page advertised algae's large oil yields but the Solix website did not assist my research attempt at try to prove it also, I still do not know how cost effective it is or what repercussions or pitfalls it may have.
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