HELP FROM KELP: Researchers are looking to seaweed as the next frontier in algae-based biofuels.
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Seaweed holds promise as more than an ingredient in a purifying face mask or a maki roll.
So say researchers at E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., which alongside Seattle-based Bio Architecture Lab (BAL) has secured $9 million from the Department of Energy to explore seaweed's potential as a feedstock for biobutanol, an advanced biofuel.
Their venture appears to have largely cornered the current market. Though more than 200 companies have looked into algae-based biofuels, DuPont and BAL say most others have shied away from using macroalgae, like kelp.
"We're in the vanguard here on this technology. There are other people who have talked about changing microalgae -- green algae that floats in the water -- into advanced biofuel, but [using] seaweed is unique," said DuPont's Nathan Danielson, a program manager who oversaw the companies' DOE grant application.
That's why the companies were able to win one of DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) awards, announced late last month, which are designed specifically for ambitious "high-risk, high-payoff" energy research projects.
Part of the reason seaweed hasn't taken off as a biofuel source is that it's not part of American culture, said Nikesh Parekh, CEO of Bio Architecture Lab. "Our founders are from Japan, and they are much more familiar with seaweed farming and seaweed as a culture crop."
Planting a large-scale seaweed farm would likely come up against stiff opposition from those who are not used to seaweed farms in their backyards, agreed Mike Graham, an ecologist specializing in seaweed at the California State University-associated Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.
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5 Comments
Add CommentIf it is possible to use seaweed to feed cows etc it also could be used against hunger problem in Africa etc.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow about we turn nuclear energy into the fuel of the future.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThese "will xyz technology save the world" stories seem to be coming thick and fast, these days. I wonder if there is some inverse correlation between them and the nearness of societal collapse.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow about: "can we live satisfying lives within the yearly budget afforded by nature?" Of course, if the answer turns out to be "no", then let's party the earth away!
But it would be nice if we could concentrate on that question, rather than "how do we maintain our unsustainable lifestyles for a bit longer?"
It is simpler to use the seaweed as biomass and pyrolyse it directly into biofuel, biogas, hydrogen or charcoal. The technology is cheap and fully operational. See : www.eprida.com for full technical details.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is the type of innovation that made America the leader of the world. Congratulations to all involved.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisKeep it up and we will finally solve the never ending dependence on importng our energy.