Algae - oil of the future

Using algae to produce biofuel instead of oil is like an arrow that hits two targets: to create energy and to clean the environment.

Each algae is a tiny biological plant that uses photosynthesis to convert CO2 and sunlight into energy. Their conversion is so effective that their weight can increase many times a day. In addition, during photosynthesis, algae also produce oil. On the same unit of area, the amount of oil that algae produces is 30 times greater than soybeans. Diesel engines can directly burn algae oil. Scientists also purify this oil into biodiesel.

Scientists at the University of Virginia (USA) are developing a plan to increase algae's oil production capacity by allowing them to ' eat ' more CO ₂ (the main greenhouse gas) and release them into environment rich in organic matter (such as waste water). This just creates biofuels and cleans the environment.

Lisa Colosi , a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Virginia, said that the amount of oil produced by algae only accounts for about 1% of their weight. She said production would increase to 40% if algae were added with CO ₂ and organic matter.

Mark White , a professor of finance at the University of Virginia, said that if the production of algae-based biofuels became widespread, the cost of processing and burying CO ₂ would decrease. Even solid waste can become a commodity for sale. In addition, because algae have the ability to extract nitrogen from air and water, one can produce pure nitrogen at a very low cost.

Laurencia , a red seaweed variety. (Photo: Wikipedia.com)