The last few years have witnessed a significant increase in biodiesel production from various sources with an average annual growth rate of over 40 per cent. At first glance, biodiesel might seem to be the last and most reasonable alternative to conventional fuels and grossly inefficient EVs.
We simply need to grow more oilseed crops to harvest more fuel. However, like any new technological spark of genius, this one too has its own share of problems. The foremost among these is the simple fact that less cultivable land would be available for food crops should we allot it to growing oilseeds, thus translating into less food space for mankind. Not exactly a sensible solution for a human race multiplying at a geometrical progression. Secondly, oilseed crops are not the most productive or efficient source of vegetable oil.
However, algae are.
Algae are among the fastest growing plants in the world and about 50 per cent of their weight is oil. They are made up of simple aquatic organisms that capture light energy through photosynthesis and produce vegetable oil, which, in turn, can be transformed into biodiesel that can be used to power just about any diesel engine. In comparison to palm oil and rapeseed, the two most common sources
of biodiesel at present, micro-algae is the highest potential energy yield, temperate, vegetable oil crop.
A biofuel manufacturer in the US recently published a study in which it was claimed that a two-car garage-sized area cultivated with algae will produce more energy than a football field-sized area of soyabeans, because almost the entire algal organism can use sunlight to produce lipids or vegetable
oil. They have no adverse effects on freshwater and can also be produced with seawater or waste water.
Producing biofuels from algae does not reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), because any CO2 taken out of the atmosphere by the algae is returned when the biofuels are burned. They do, however, eliminate the introduction of new CO2 by displacing fossilhydrocarbon fuels.
As of now, most research into efficient algal-oil production is being done in the private sector, but various research institutes are unanimous in their opinion that biodiesel from algae might just be the only viable method to produce enough automotive fuel to replace current world diesel use. Bill Gates’ investment firm, Cascade Investment, is funding Sapphire Energy, a company that intends to make auto fuel from algae and other alternative energy researchers like Algenol, Chevron (USA), Bio Fuel Systems (Spain), Seambiotic (Israel) are gearing up to throw their respective hats in the ring.
In India, West Bengal is taking the lead when it comes to algae production. A pilot project has been initiated at the Kolaghat thermal power plant and is expected to go into production early next year. Professor Saraji Basu, head of the project and an acknowledged expert on biofuels, said, “The algae technology can be integrated with a power plant or a sponge iron factory where CO2 emission is very high. For instance, the 1,260-MW Kolaghat thermal power plant emits 15,000 tonnes of CO2 every day. We can trap this gas and channel it into a pond where algae will be farmed. CO2 and dissolved nutrients will give a major spurt to algal biomass.”
Sun Plant Agro, an ISO certified private venture, has leased a vast tract of land near Canning, WB, and is now gearing up for commercial production of biofuel from algae. As of now, we are at a crossroads and only the future will tell which direction alternative fuel will take. Either way, it is a small step towards a greener, better planet
