I’ve always thought of Algae as an annoying green scum around a swimming hole or fish tank. Recently however, algae has become the latest crop being targeted for biofuel production. While doubling it’s weight several times a day it could produce up to 10,000 gallons of biofuel per year while corn would only yield 60 gallons per acre annually. 

Algae biofuel could become the ultimate in green fuel, both figuratively and literally. The idea is to use recycled carbon dioxide from other industries to feed the Algae. As it grows the oil is harvested for fuel while the other green mass by-product can be used in fish and oyster farms. So, not only are we using up CO2 but there is very little waste.

While the process of growing, harvesting and converting algae into fuel is still being perfected things look promising. The aviation industry is very interested in reducing it’s fossil fuel consumption and is hoping to see it’s first plane flown entirely on biofuel in 2010.

A startup in Seattle called Blue Marble Energy isn’t growing algae in farms but instead plans to cleanup algae from existing sewage plants and waterways and process it into fuel.

As this whole biofuel situation plays out it will be interesting to see what crops become the winners. It would be nice to see the edible crops like corn used to feed our bellies versus our engines.

» Blue Marble Energy