Most
American consumers have been hit hard by soaring gas prices,
and many people from individuals to research firms are
searching for an alternative fuel source that is renewable,
economical, and environmentally friendly.
Biodiesel made from crops such as
corn and soybeans is one such alternative that most people are
aware of, but another option, algae biodiesel, is one of the
newest and most promising fuel sources to date. One thing is
for sure, if a solution to the ever increasing gas prices is
not found soon millions of people will be unable to afford
their daily commute.
Many people have put their hopes
in biodiesel made from crops as the solution to oil dependency.
However, there are problems with biodiesel made from crops
namely the displacement of food and the amount of crops it
takes to produce a gallon of oil. Using food crops such as
soybeans and corn to produce oil takes away from the amount
crops that could have been used for food.
Using food crops to make
biodiesel is also not very economical, it takes an acre of
soybeans to produce about 50 gallons of biodiesel and an acre
of corn to produce only about 20 gallons of biodiesel. Compared
to the 5,000 or more gallons of biodieseal produced from one
acre of algae, food crops are underperforming.
The fuel consumption for cars,
trucks, and other transportation in the US accounts for almost
70% of total oil consumption. While this is a huge chunk of our
oil needs, it would take only about 15,000 square miles of
algae farms to produce enough biodiesel to meet our
transportation needs.
That would be one algae farm that
measured 120 miles by 125 miles or 50 algae farms that were
only 300 square miles each. With the space requirements
feasible, algae bio diesel just may be the fuel of the future
as it is economical, renewable, and will not displace food
crops.
Making biodiesel from algae is a
complicated process, but it is not harder than making it from
other sources such as crops or waste oil and it is even
possible for consumers to make their own algae biodiesel at
home. In fact, making biodiesel from algae is actually easier
than from other sources such as waste oil because it does not
require the level of filtering or titrating. It is possible
that once consumers learn how to make algae bio diesel for
themselves that they can in fact become responsible for their
own energy needs and stop depending on large energy
companies.
This fact has the potential to
lower energy prices simply because the big energy companies
would not be the only place to get gasoline and heating oil. It
is becoming more and more common for individuals to make their
own fuel form waste oil but as it become harder to get waste
oil form commercial sources many more people will begin to turn
to algae as the fuel source of choice.
Although algae biodiesel has been
touted as the fuel of the future by many, one thing is for
sure, if we do not find alternatives to cut our dependence on
gasoline and crude oil, we will continue to struggle as gas
prices rise.