This is turning out to be New Scientist day! I found very cool article in yet another recent issue (Vol 192; No.2572).
Just as an aside…you’ll notice I chat about articles from New Scientist every once in awhile. Just so you know, this is definitely a magazine subscription I would HIGHLY recommend! Aside from a decent number of environmentally-themed articles, it offers up a wide variety of interesting science features and tidbits in general. It’s also a weekly publication, so it really helps you stay current.
After spending all day reading off a computer screen, I have to admit its pretty nice to actually read a real magazine as well!
Anyway…
The article in question this time is called From Smokestack to Gas Tank (click the link for an online preview of the article), and discusses the idea of using tanks of algae to filter nasty emissions from power plants. Not only does this have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but apparently the algae themselves can then be harvested and turned into copious amounts of biofuel!
GreenFuel Technologies (Cambridge Mass.) has been testing a pilot-scale application of this concept at Redhawk Power (in Arizona).
So how exactly does this all work?
Essentially, exhaust gas from the power plant is bubbled through cylindrical upright tanks full of algae-laden water. The algae extract the CO2 from the exhaust and convert it to sugars via photosynthesis. Via further metabolism these sugars are then converted to oils and proteins.
Portions of the algal soup are continually removed and dried into algae cakes (yummm!!). The cakes are then repeatedly washed with solvents to extract the ‘algal oil’. This oil is then converted to biodiesel via transesterification and the remaining biomass is treated with enzymes, thereby converting starches into simple sugars. Ethanol can then be produced via the fermentation of these simple sugars.
Pretty cool!!
So far GreenFuel technologies has secured more than $18 million USD in venture capital funding, and they are hoping to have a 1 km2 (or larger) algae-farm-bioreactor online by 2009 at the Redhawk site.
According to GreenFuel’s Chief Technology Officer Isaac Berzin, an algae farm large enough to absorb all the CO2 from a 1000 megawatt power plant (which would likely need to span 8-16km2), could potentially produce 150 million litres of biodiesel and 190 million litres of ethanol per year!
Another company with similar plans is Greenshift (based in New York).
They are hoping to remove CO2 from the exhaust of a bioethanol plant using similar technologies. Apparently by adding the algal technology into the mix they should be able to improve the conversion of corn to ethanol from 1/3 to 2/3!
Almost makes me wonder why anyone would grow crops for ethanol in the first place! According to the article, algae have major advantages in that they don’t need strong sunlight for photosynthesis and require far less space (eg. 33 times more land is needed to grow rapeseed than the fuel-equivalent amount of algae). As if that isn’t ENOUGH - algae also don’t require freshwater or valuable farm soil!
Very very interesting stuff!
Once again, be sure to check out GreenFuel Technologies & Greenshift to learn more about what they are doing.
If you want to preview the New Scientist article be sure to check out the link given above.
Related sherpa articles: Biofuel From Bacteria
Technorati Tags: algae, biofuel, ethanol, biodiesel, GreenFuel Technologies, Greenshift, CO2, global warming, power plant, transesterification, greenhouse gas emissions, New Scientist
Written by Bentley on October 23rd, 2006 with 4 comments.
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(photo from MAREC website)
The title of this post is a bit misleading and I should quickly explain what this post is about. The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) is in the process of creating a $1.3 million biomass-to-electricity demonstration plant in Muskegon County, Michigan.
The demonstration plant will convert dairy cow and swine manure to methane gas which would then be used to produce electricity. If the plant is successful, it would offer a realistic solution to farmers, who are faced with the growing challenge of animal waste. Another byproduct of the biomass-to-electricity conversion is sterile compost that could be sold to local garden centers or soil enrichment companies.
The following excerpt is from the MAREC website:
“The Muskegon County Wastewater Management System is the suggested location for the high-tech digestive system (anaerobic bio-digester) that breaks down manure, and advanced combined heat and power micro turbine electric generator required for this project. Electricity generated by the biomass-to-energy plant could then be used to power some of the wastewater facility “a large user of electricity” and by businesses that might become part of a “large lot” industrial park near the wastewater site. The isolated setting of the wastewater facility makes it an ideal place to process animal waste, and its centralized location puts it close to large cow and pig farms in the region.”
To learn more about MAREC, vist them here.
Technorati Tags: biomass-to-electricity, cow manure, swine manure, green energy, biomass, MAREC, animal waste, electricity, methane, Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center
Written by steve on October 23rd, 2006 with no comments.
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I found an interesting article in a recent New Scientist magazine issue (Vol 191 No.2571) - written by George Monbiot, author of the new book “Heat: How to stop the planet burning”.
It provides a somewhat unexpected argument - essentially the idea that home-based power generation is a waste of time.
Monbiot makes the claim that home power generation is a concept that has been hugely over-hyped, and just ISN’T the way to go if we want to prevent some of the serious repercussions of Global Warming. He refers to a brochure (released by environmental architect Bill Dunster last year) which made claims that as much as 50% of a household’s annual energy can be provided with a home-scale wind turbine (1.75 meter diameter). He then points to an article published in Building for Future Magazine several months later which offered 5% as a more likely figure.
In response to the ‘every little bit counts’ argument the author makes the claim that not only will such projects not create more environmentally-conscious people, but it will have the opposite effect as numerous people become enraged when their alt-power systems aren’t producing remotely the amount of energy that was claimed.
So what is George Monbiot’s solution? Offshore wind farms - he cites a recent UK government report which suggests that England and Wales have a potential offshore resource worth 3200 TWh.
All in all I found it to be a very interesting read! While I do tend to prefer a more optimistic approach (and don’t necessarily agree with all his arguments), I know full-well that the ‘negative nellys” of the world have the important task of keeping everyone on their toes! Regardless of what side of the fence you happen to be on, its always important to closely examine the facts, and not let the ‘happy-shiny-people-holding-hands’ mentality get the better of you. 
Anyway, here is an online preview of the article at New Scientist: Small-scale renewable power - low-wattage thinking?
Technorati Tags: solar power, wind power, solar panels, wind turbine, home power generation, George Monbiot, global warming, renewable energy, New Scientist
Written by Bentley on October 23rd, 2006 with no comments.
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Hi everyone - seems to be feast or famine here on the blog lately! Sorry for the inconsistency in posting volume thus far!
Steve and I have agreed that we definitely need to set up some messages to go live on the weekends, since we both tend to be busy with non-computer-related activities!
Anyway - quite a few tidbits to share, so better get started!
Saw an interesting article in the GreenBiz Newsletter. Apparently Office Depot is now offering its ‘Green Book’ catalogue is six different countries (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium)! Thats fantastic, but why on earth is Canada not included?!?
For those of you who don’t know (myself included, less than an hour a go), the Green Book is essentially a catalogue of “environmentally preferable products”
Here is a blurb from the GreenBiz article:
This year’s catalogs contain more than 6,000 different products including remanufactured ink and toner cartridges; recycled paper products; Energy Star qualified office equipment, such as computers, monitors and printers; and nontoxic cleaners and writing instruments.
Sounds pretty cool, and I certainly can’t wait until we get our own version up here in the ‘Great White North’!
Technorati Tags: office depot, green book, greenbiz, green news, eco products, green products, energy star
Written by Bentley on October 23rd, 2006 with no comments.
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