First Generation Biofuels Need to Go
While an almost universal scientific consensus is developing around the downsides of first generation biofuels (f.ex. corn ethanol), entrepreneurs and scientists are working on biofuels that require less energy inputs to make and don't compete for agricultural land with food crops. One of the most promising feedstocks is algae, with which biodiesel can be made.
One of the companies working on making algal fuels viable is Green Star, and they just announced the creation of a new micronutrient that can help boost algae daily growth rate by 34% and "increase the total biomass quantity in a harvest algae growth cycle by well over 100%."
Researchers Want to Make Biodiesel form Algae
Research took place in Biotech Research’s lab facility at the UABC University in Ensenada, Mexico.
The UABC testing has shown that 1:10,000 nutrient dilution rates were very productive (i.e. one gallon of MMB mixed with 10,000 gallons of water). Even at 1:20,000 dilution levels, the MMB was still effective.
Green Star will make available 12-oz sample bottles to all universities [either at no cost or with $50 shipping fees], research institutes and commercial facilities for testing on their specific strains of algae.
This is quite a smart move. This way they can find quickly which kinds of algaes work with the micronutrient, and their product will get more scientific scrutiny from many unbiased observers.
Biofuels are Entangled in Politics
The fast second generation biofuels come to market, the faster we can convince politicians that they should drop all those counter-productive corn subsidies. The farm lobby will fight back, but if it is publicly known that a viable alternative that is both greener and doesn't make food prices shoot up exists, their position will be a lot harder to defend.
Here's a two minute video produced by Green Star about algae-based biodiesel:
::Solazyme B100 Algae Biodiesel Goes on the Road
::15 Algae Biofuels Startups to Watch
::First Commercial Algae-to-Biofuels Facility Goes Online
Other Alternative Fuels
::Geneticist Craig Venter Wants to Create Fuel from CO2
::Syntec Biofuel: Closer to Fuel from Waste
::Iogen's Cellulose Ethanol - Straw-Powered Cars
More on Green Power's Algae Research
::Green Star Official Website
::Green Star Announces Algae Breakthrough
::Green Star Says New Micronutrient Boosts Growth Rate of Algae by 34%