UK joining the craze of using algae in biofuel production

With regards to the use of biodiesel, the UK is known to be a major producer and consumer. A lot of biofuel production plants do exist in the UK but it seems production is not enough to satisfy the slowly increasing demands for the more environment friendly fuel.

Only recently, news came out that known producer of biodiesel Argent Energy will be constructing a biodiesel plant at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire that is said to be the biggest one yet of its kind in the world. The plant is expected to have a capacity of handling around 150,000 tons of used cooking oil and tallow which translates to more than 170 million liters of biodiesel per year.

But biodiesel has always been made from vegetable oils from agricultural crops such as corn, soya, and rapeseed. Then there are a small number of companies that uses animal fats as their base oil in producing biofuel. The problem with using agricultural produce is that there's basically not enough to go around which can be used to sufficiently supply the world's fuel needs. Aside from having not enough arable land, biodiesel production plants will be competing directly with the food supply when they use corn and similar crops as their feendstock in biodiesel production.

Researchers are, of course, already trying to find better alternatives. Some researches in the US are tapping the potential of wood chips and straw as possible sources of oil for biofuel production. Meanwhile, there are alternative plants that can be used instead of corn such as the plant called Jatropha which can grow on the worst soils and has seeds that have oil contents reaching as much as 30%.

Also, recent studies have shown that algae can be processed to make biodiesel. Manufacturers are seeing a lot of benefits from using algae for biodiesel production. Algae grow incredibly fast given the right conditions. It is biodegradable and certain species can produce lots of oil. Some species have been found to contain more than 50% of oil. The oils is formed when the algae taps sunlight and uses the carbon dioxide in the air to create energy to live and grow.

Some studies have found out that an algae farm is capable of producing 30 times more oil per acre than any other land based food crop. It is said that algae can produce as much as 5,000-20,000 gallons of oil per acre per year. Other food crops pale in comparisons are made. Palm oil, for instance, produces only 635 gallons of biofuel and to think that palm oil is already considered as one of the best crops that can be used for biofuel production.

Aside form being used in biodiesel production, algae can also be used to produce solid fuels, methane gas, or bio-ethanol. Research has also shown that algae can be used to supply electricity. Plus, farming algae will not eat up the very limited arable lands we have dedicated for food crops. Algae can be set up in deserts provided conditions are met and can even be fed on liquid human or animal sewage or on areas where waterways are being polluted by fertilizer run offs.

There are already some US based companies who are setting up plants that would harness the potential of algae as feedstock for biofuel production. In New Zealand, the company Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation will be heading a project that involve producing homegrown biodiesel fuel using algae sourced from sewerage ponds located in various regions in New Zealand.

So far biodiesel using algae as the main source of oil has been successfully harnessed in laboratory settings. The next would be developing the process for commercial use. If companies like Aquaflow become successful, we will definitely see a major deviation in biodiesel production. Instead of seeing the current conventional oil feedstocks, we will hear about algae farms being the main source of oil in biodiesel production.