Hour 3
A group of scientists from Barcelona have recently studied algae and how it could become a profitable source of biodiesel. They studied their quantity of lipids per cell because this is essential for obtaining fuel. A certain algae that hasnt been looked at much, dinoflagellate microalgae, has potential to be a really good fuel. They did a study over 4 years of cultivating the algae while using all natural conditions. No artificial light sources or temperature control were used. They concluded so far that this variety of algae is among the best for creating fuel, and it would be especally helpful for towns near the sea. Another benefit is that a leakage would not harm the environment whatsoever. The algae don't need fresh water to thrive, and salt water is abundant, so they would be easy to grow in even desert areas.
NOS Themes:
Science is collaborative- many scientists in Barcelona working together
Science is based on evidence- they did a 4 year study to get evidence that the algae would be a good fuel
Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130321132110.htm
A fuel made from algae would be amazing for our environment. Unfortunately, a lot of people are stuck in their ways and don't like to think about the future, so they just keep guzzling up resources that won't last forever. Oil companies wouldn't want people to find a way to make fuel out of algae either, because then they would be out of a job. If people do start realizing the harm they create, algae fuel would be pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea, but it has a drawback. To be able to use algae as fuel, you would need to grow them, which would take a heck of a lot of water. This could be potentially harmful to the ecosystems.
ReplyDeletehttp://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2012/12/17/the-downside-of-using-algae-as-a-biofuel/
Krysia, the idea is that these algae can use saltwater to survive. Keep in mind that saltwater is abundant and not at all a concern. The article you linked uses older data which only takes into account algae's ability to grow in fresh water. Fresh water is in relatively short supply, and it would be concerning if the algae were only able to use this, but that's not the case at all.
ReplyDelete-Sebastian Wolf
And if there are problems with the type of water, you can always desalinate it with this new material that does everything from desalination to providing energy:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130320094856.htm