Collaborating on Biodiesel from Algae

A comment by a visitor to an earlier post on egging others to explore algae-based biodiesel prompted me to check for more resources on collaborating to explore algae-based oil...

Found an interesting forum at BioForge that discusses how to collaborate on biodiesel initiatives, with a bit of focus on algae.

Another well-known forum is a Yahoo-groups forum on biodiesel from algae

A third forum is Biodiesel Now Forums on Algal Biodiesel

I think this is a key topic for Oilgae as well...it is easy to aggregate content and make people aware of it ( which is what we are trying to do at Oilgae.com right now), but this is just necessary not sufficient...

The ideal situation would be where we have a bunch of folks from different aspects of biodiesel domain - some theorists, some biodiesel scientific experts, some tinkerers, some politicians, and some businessmen, and some pure evangelists - working together (perhaps virtual) and exploring this avenue more seriously...perhaps I'm being Utopian, but well, if it can be done for a complex system like an operating system (Linux and many other open source projects...), I'm sure it can be done for biodiesel...

taking this thought further, I created a section at ideOS.org ( which was started to figure out more open source ideas - ideOS stands for ideas Open Source) outlining a brief process by which such open source collaboration can be attempted...

I know I'm being a bit of (understatement?) a dreamer, but if there are folks who think perhaps I'm not, do drop a note, and we can take this particular discussion forward

The usual shameless advertising for Oilgae follows

Oilgae - Oil, Biodiesel from Algae, Oilgae Blog

Oilgae.com - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers of algal oil and algal fuels. It will make an effort to provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil info and link, details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, algal oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer

US Military Seeks Alternative Fuels

Read this July 12 news article at United Press International...

"U.S. military wants to reduce its dependence on oil to power its aircraft, vehicles and ships, and is seeking plant-based materials to replace petroleum fuels.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency last week published a request for biodiesel fuels produced from plants, algae, fungi and bacteria that would be suitable for military use. The current generation of biodiesel fuels does not satisfy the energy density or wide range of temperatures required", says the article...

Interesting!

Ec @ Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae

Oilgae.com - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers of algal oil and algal fuels. It will make an effort to provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil info and link, details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, algal oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer

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Oil-rich Algae Seen as Bio-fuel

Researchers at the South Australian Research and Development Institute will this month embark on a three year research program to investigate the viability of its use - read more from here

The article says "Micro-algae are known to accumulate oil up to 60 to 70 per cent of their weight"...I'm not sure the percentages are that high though...from the reading we have done at Oilgae, I'd surmise 50% at best...see Algae Oil Yield & Algae Oil Composition pages at Oilgae for more inputs on these

I'd welcome any corrections or suggestions to these numbers...

By Ec @ Oilgae.com - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae

Oilgae.com - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers of algal oil and algal fuels. It will make an effort to provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil info and link, details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, algal oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer

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Algae Biodiesel Production in South Africa

Got this note thru email from one Tom Catino, I'm posting this here

South Africa: De Beers to Get Biodiesel Licence
July 21, 2006
Posted to the web July 21, 2006

Siseko Njobeni
Johannesburg

THE South African Revenue Service (SARS) is on the verge of
licensing local biodiesel producer De Beers Fuel's commercial
biodiesel production plant, SARS spokesman Adrian Lackay said
yesterday.

The licence would make De Beers Fuel the first authorised commercial
biodiesel producer in SA. SARS requires biodiesel manufacturers that
produce more than 300000l a year to register.

Lackay said SARS was also processing applications from four other
companies that wanted their operations to be licensed.

SARS had received "lots of enquiries from smaller manufac-turers",
an indication that more companies were considering producing
biodiesel.

Government has thrown its weight behind initiatives to stimulate a
biofuels industry. The aim is that biofuels should account for 40%
of SA's renewable energy, in order to achieve the target of 10000GWh
a year from renewable energy by 2013.

Lackay said De Beers Fuel's application for licensing was in the
final stages.

Producers that manufacture less than 300000l a year, regarded as
noncommercial manufacturers, do not have to register their
operations with SARS.

Hendy Schoonvee of Biodiesel Refinery, a company responsible for the
marketing, selling and franchising of De Beers Fuel plants, said its
clients included transport, mining and forestry companies.

De Beers Fuel production plant, in Naboomspruit, Limpopo, produces
biodiesel from the oil of sunflower seeds.

Schoonvee said the plant had the capacity to produce 3,6-million
litres of diesel a month.

Schoonvee said the company had plans for other plants.
He said De Beers Fuel had plans to introduce new technology that
would see the company increase production by converting fuel from
algae.

"About half a hectare of sun-flower seeds gives you about 350l of
diesel. With algae, the production can be 95000l," he said.

On Tuesday next week, SA's first ethanol plant will be launched in
Bothaville in the Free State. Ethanol is an alcohol-based
alternative fuel produced by fermenting and distilling starch crops
such as maize.

Oilgae.com - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers of algal oil and algal fuels. It will make an effort to provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil info and link, details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, algal oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer

Oil from Plankton ?

Read in some newspapers today, presenting a summary

A Spanish company claimed to have developed a method of breeding plankton and turning the marine plants into oil...the company, Bio Fuel Systems is a wholly Spanish firm, formed this year in eastern Spain after three years of research by scientists and engineers connected with the University of Alicante.

"Bio Fuel Systems has developed a process that converts energy, based on three elements: solar energy, photosynthesis and an electromagnetic field," it said

Bio Fuel Systems said its new fuel would reduce CO2, was free of other contaminants like sulphur dioxide and would be cheaper than fossil oil is now.

"Our system of bioconversion is about 400 times more productive than any other plant-based system producing oil or ethanol," it said, referring to currently available biofuels made from plants like maize or oilseeds.

Bio Fuel Systems has drawn up industrial plans to make the fuel and says it will be able to start continuous production in 14 to 18 months.

End of news

I guess what this article is discussing is nothing but biodiesel production from algae, since the term phytoplanktons is just another commonly used term for microalgae...though they have not specifically mentioned biodiesel but have just said petroleum, I'd imagine they are talking of biodiesel production from algae oil...however, it will be good to hear of any corrections to my thought...

just to get the terminology cleared up:

1. Collectively, phytoplankton are known as microalgae, a designation given to all algae, of which phytoplankton are a part, that are too small to be seen with the naked eye. From what I have read so far, most oil (& biodiesel ) extraction explorations have been with microalgae.
2. The other group of algae that inhabit the seas are the macroalgae, the kelps and fucoids that grow along the shore.

Your comments and feedback are appreciated

NS @ Oilgae - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae

Oilgae.com - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers of algal oil and algal fuels. It will make an effort to provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil info and link, details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, algal oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer

Algae Biodiesel News from Australia

Two news items for today: (taken from Oilgae.com Algae Biodiesel News Section)

Microalgae Could Provide Alternative Fuel - South Australia's Research and Development Institute (SARDI) hopes to turn micro-algae into an alternative fuel as part of a million-dollar research program – Jul 20, 2006 - read here

Algae Project Wins Renewable Energy Grant – A Queensland (Australia) company trying to produce biodiesel from algae is among the recipients of $10.5 million in federal grants for renewable energy projects – Jul 20, 2006 - read here

Oilgae.com - Oil & Biodiesel from Algae provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers of algal oil and algal fuels. It will make an effort to provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil info and link, details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, algal oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer

Growing Microalgae from Sewage Lagoons

A user posted the following, which I thought was worth discussing:

"This pertains to another comment about using sewage lagoons of small communities to grow microalgae. It would seem that the University of New Hampshire is already involved in this research. Here is the link: http://unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/





Of particular note is the algae ponds at wastewater treatment plants. I think it would be well worth reading any research papers that have come out of this. It also might be worth tapping the contacts there and letting them know that this blog is starting so they can check in periodically and make comments."

I would request any more inputs in this regard. The interesting aspect of the post is the involvement of small, local communities in producing energy, which holds interesting possibilities...

Narsi...

Oilgae.com provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the algae-based biofuels & biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research, information, inputs, news for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers of algal oil and algal fuels. It will make an effort to provide info on biofuel feedstock, algal feedstocks, algae oil info and link, details on fuel from algae, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, algal oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer

Oilgae Blog Started (at last)

Just begun!

Jus started this blog, and hope to have this serve as a forum for discussing biodiesel production from algae! For more inputs on the potential for biodiesel production from algae, see the homepage http://www.oilgae.com and kindly browse through the content.

I am hoping to become a bit less lazy and start posting to this forum soon. Would request all ye to post your thoughts and comments as well

Narsi, Oilgae.com @ http://www.oilgae.com