Environment & Energy

sue4e3

(731 posts) Mon Feb 29, 2016, 03:02 PM Feb 2016

Biofuels from Algae: A Budding Technology Yet to Become Viable Published: February 29, 2016.

http://www.sciencenewsline.com/summary/2016022916520015.html
Despite high expectations and extensive research and investment in the last decade, technological options are still in developing stages and key resources for algal growth are still too onerous for economically viable production of algal biofuels, according to a JRC literature review. No large-scale, commercial algae-to-biofuels facilities have been implemented up until the end of 2015.

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Biofuels from Algae: A Budding Technology Yet to Become Viable Published: February 29, 2016. (Original Post) sue4e3 Feb 2016 OP

Even if all the energy used v energy produced problems are solved with algae biofuels . . . brush Feb 2016 #1

It will be carbon neutral. drm604 Feb 2016 #2

brush

(53,871 posts)

1. Even if all the energy used v energy produced problems are solved with algae biofuels . . .

Reply to sue4e3 (Original post)

Mon Feb 29, 2016, 03:26 PM

Feb 2016

it still will yield oil, which of course will be burned for energy that in turn will introduce more carbon dioxide into the environment.

Perhaps solar, wind, geothermal and even wave energy are the way to go as alternative energy sources.

drm604

(16,230 posts)

2. It will be carbon neutral.

Reply to brush (Reply #1)

Mon Feb 29, 2016, 04:00 PM

Feb 2016

The carbon introduced into the atmosphere by burning the oil will be the same carbon that was taken from the atmosphere by the algae, so there would be no net increase in carbon in the atmosphere.

That's the whole point of biofuels. They don't increase the overall carbon in the atmosphere.

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