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New Sources Of Biofuel To Take Pressure Off Traditional Crops
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 14, 2009 "Salt-loving algae could be the key to the successful development of biofuels as well as being an efficient means of recycling atmospheric carbon dioxide", Professor John Cushman of the University of Nevada told the Society for General Microbiology meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. The current major limitation of biofuel production is the lack of adequate feedstocks, soybeans and corn, for biodiesel and ethanol production, respectively. Halophytic (salt-loving) micro-algae can be grown on marginal lands with brackish or salt water unsuitable for traditional agriculture. Their growth is non-seasonal, making them 10-30 times more productive than terrestrial crops. They can be grown on municipal wastewater and have widespread potential for recycling carbon dioxide from biomass-, coal-, and gas-fired power plants. Algae are adapted to a wide range of water sources, but grow year-round in warm, tropical or sub-tropical climates. Using geothermal heat, Professor Cushman has been able to extend the growing season for algae production from three months to nine months in colder climates. "Our work aims to find suitable algal strains to use for biofuel production", said Professor Cushman. "We need to identify the key components of the biosynthetic pathway to learn how to improve oil production and alter desirable oil characteristics with immediate and significant impact on the emerging algal feedstock biofuels industry". Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Society for General Microbiology Bio Fuel Technology and Application News
Dynamotive Provides Update On CQuest Biochar Test ProgramsMclean VA (SPX) Sep 08, 2009 Dynamotive Energy Systems and BlueLeaf are pleased to provide a mid-season report for the second year of the BlueLeaf commercial farming field trial begun and reported in 2008. The findings further support the economic potential for CQuest Biochar as soil enhancer. CQuest Biochar is a by-product of the BioOil production process and represents approximately 25% of the total product output ... read more |
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