Algae Project
Dan Downs
Emilia Miller
Alex Doyle
Harwood
Physics
Algae: Saving the World in Baby Steps
The energy crisis in our country is of upmost importance. As a country we
have been trying to find alternate energy to replace oil. Oil is the most commonly
used energy source, not just in the United States but, in the world. Alternate
energy is expensive and really advanced technology wise. Alternate energy
resources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy can produce a lot of
energy, but are very dependent on certain aspects. For example on a cloudy day,
solar panels cannot gather energy from the sun. But there is an alternate energy
source that many people never even heard about. Many people don’t know that
you can get different types of oil from algae. Algae can produce enough oil to
solve our energy crisis, if handled correctly. One ton of algae can produce about
100 gallons of oil. Algae can produce up to 300 times more oil per acre than
conventional crops such as rapeseed, palms, or soybeans. The reason why we do
not benefit from this is because oil companies bought out the technology to
extract the oil from the algae. They are waiting for a day when oil is in such a
demand that they can practically charge whatever they want. With our class’s
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Algae Project
project, we are showing that on a small budget that we can make enough energy
to power a small plane and eventually the grounds equipment for our school.
The first idea for algae fuel was proposed in the 1950’s and was driving
force behind the energy crisis in the 1970’s. The Aquatic Species Program (ASP)
spent 25 million dollars on research over 10 years. They originally researched
growing algae in open ponds outside. They isolated thousands of different strands
of algae in separate ponds to research them individually. They tested each pond
with different amounts of nutrients and CO2 to see if it would affect oil content or
reproduction rates. In 1995, due to low funding, they were forced to terminate the
program, thus ending the experiment. More recently, due to the need of fuel, we
can now genetically enhance algae to increase the fuel content of the algae. The
problem with collecting algae in an open pond outside is that there is high
possibility of contamination. If an animal or a bird were to accidently go in the
pond or drop something in, then the contents of the pond could be contaminated,
so scientists tried making a closed system. The technique they developed was
then named Vertigro. A structure allowing water to flow at a steady pace, to let
the algae grow, can filter water and reuse it. Since algae are plants, they would
then pump CO2 into the system so the plants can perform photosynthesis. The
only problem with the closed system is that it is very difficult to create a very
large area to mass produce the algae. Plus it would be difficult to get artificial
lights to for all the algae. With either system there is a difficulty.
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Each strain of algae is comprised of a different cellular structure, not only
does the shape of each algal type contribute to the structure of the cells and their
functions, but other factors such as their environments and methods of surviving
affect it too. Now the cells are not just bubbles of oil, the oil makes up essential
parts of the cell, mainly the cell membrane and cytoplasm. Oils are fatty acids.
Fatty acids are hydrophobic (water fearing) on one end, and hydrophilic (water
loving) on the other. This allows fatty acids to create membranes with the
hydrophilic side outwards on both sides and the hydrophobic sides on the inner
portion of the membrane. Fatty acids make up the membranes of our cells and
without these membranes cells would not be able to regulate things coming and
going from the cell. In plants, there is another part of the cell casing called the cell
wall. This gives plants rigidity. In algae this wall and membrane are comprised of
oils that are prime for conversion to bio diesel.
Pond scum is considered to be a great source for algae biofuel as it is easy to find and
contains a good amount of oils. There are some specific types of algae; however, that have
extremely high oil contents and are better to use, but may be harder to find. Botryococcus
braunii is one of the highest oil content algae around. While oils are about 40% of the species
dry weight it has exceedingly thick cell walls, making it a challenge to extract oils from
within the cell. Also, the most efficient process to transfer biolipids into diesel fuel is called
transesterification, this is done by adding a catalyst and an alcohol, is not possible for
Botryococcus braunii because Botryococcus braunii oils are triterpenes (which lack the extra
oxygen atom required for the alcohol to bond to) instead of vegetable oils (triglycerides).
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One of the major pro’s of algae fuel is that algae are one of the fastest growing plants
in the world. Growth rates for any algal species will be extremely high, and will be higher in
microalgae. Microalgae are very small and are usually identifiable from the green tinge they
give water. Surface algae also reproduce quickly. These types have increased growth rates
because they are not substrate bound (like algae growing from a rock), they have room to
reproduce, and they have easier access to sunlight and carbon dioxide.
Identifying an algal strain can be a daunting task and even more so without
knowledge of algae and the different types. To begin attempting algae identification you
must begin by collecting a sample of the algae. Attempt to keep out all other contaminants
and make sure the sample is placed in a jar with much more water than the sample; otherwise
the algae will decompose. It is best to look at the algae as soon as possible because many
preservatives can kill the algae. Also planktonic algae (algae that floats throughout the water)
may be eaten quickly by grazing microorganisms in the water; this is not as much a problem
for larger species. Once gathered, algae should be placed upon a slide to be viewed by a
microscope and covered with a coverslip. From that point algae may be further identified by
the use of resources and guides through books and the internet. The easiest method of this
would be to examine the algae, note certain distinctive features and use those to compare
against pictures of algae from the internet. Because of the expansive collection of algal
species it is very hard to know a species just by looking at it and it is even more challenging
to discover the lipid content of a species without the proper instruments.
The social impacts of algae based biofuels are extremely high. With the creation of
these biofuels, there will be a huge jump in jobs for, not only engineers, but maintenance
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workers and small amounts of gardeners and environmentalists too (Ringo, par. 1). By
creating more jobs, a large amount of people can be helped, along with the economy gaining
the boost it needs to recover from the recession. The biofuel production could also be
expanded globally to help others all around the world that absolutely need the jobs. This
would create millions of jobs not only nationally, but also globally. On the other hand, the
nation would have to convert their gasoline cars to diesel. Most people would not want to do
this because it is an unnecessary change. The change would include switching gasoline
engines for diesel engines, which is very expensive. This change might take a couple years to
a couple decades before people in the world might consider making the switch to diesel.
The economic impacts of algae based biofuels are also extremely high. With more
jobs being created, there will be more money being circulated back into the economy. This
will help everyone in the nation. If biofuels were not already being improved, “crude oil
would be trading 15 percent higher and gasoline would be as much as 25 percent more
expensive. (BIO, par. 3)” Without biofuels, people in America would be spending as much as
an extra twenty-five to thirty cents per gallon on gas. Gas is hard to afford now, imagine
when the oil levels are being depleted by overuse. Researchers project that within the next
sixty years, the price of oil will most likely double, if not triple, due to the growing need for
oil. With this need, the prices will skyrocket and many people will not be able to afford as
much oil as they did before. The algae based biofuels can help change this future from
happening, hopefully. The biofuels could lower the prices of oils or make it easier for people
to acquire a substitute for oil until they can afford it again.
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Algae based biofuels can change the nation’s future. They can either make oil
obsolete or help when jobs need to be created. The first step is in knowing how to start the
process and where the process should end; however, all a person needs to know is what the
right species of algae is for them. Everything else can be trial and error. Biofuels with algae
are still fairly new, so it may not be right the first time.
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Works Cited
Ringo, John S. "Economic Impacts of Algae Biodiesel." Techno Texas Machine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan.
2013.
"Economic Impact of Advanced Biofuels." BIO. Biotechnology Industry Organization, n.d. Web. 13 Jan.
2013.
"Algae Basics - History of Algae as Fuel." Algae Basics - History of Algae as Fuel. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan.
2013.
"Algae Fuel." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Jan. 2013. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
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