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Most people which are Thinking about Algae biodiesel would like to discover the answers to the following queries…how algae biodiesel functions…how is oil removed from algae…how do researchers grow algae?..pros and cons of algae biodiesel….what can we use algae biodiesel for? In addition they want the information in laymen’s terms. So we will attemp to answer a few of these concerns now.

Algae as Biodiesel

Biodiesel refers to fuel produced from as soon as living organisms. It’s generally created into a liquid or gaseous state and many people use Biodiesel for running vehicles or supplying electrical energy through a diesel generator. Due to the fact of the plentiful supply of algae biomass in freshwater and other marine sources, large-scale studies have already been performed for the use of algae as a possible source of biodiesel.

The production of biodiesel & commercial farming of algae biomass is grown in numerous countries internationally. The important fuels synthesized from algae oil are biogas, biodiesel, biomethanol, bioethanol, biobutanol and dry algae fuel (similar to coal) such as the group Robert Fulton has created. Quite a few countries around the world have integrated highly sophisticated techniques for enhancing commercial-scale cultivation of algae and the United States is a front runner within this technology.

Greatest things about Algae as Biodiesel

The fast growth of algae is a contributing factor for commercially produced algae farming. Some species of algae can double their mass in a day. When compared with other biodiesel solutions this includes soybeans or jatropha, there are certain advantages of using algae this includes:

• The quantity oil from algae is comparatively higher (about 30 times) more than land based crops.
• Marine water and also brackish water can be used for commercial farming of algae.
• Unlike petroleum fuel, biodiesel produced from algae are biodegradable, thus reducing environmental pollution. In case there is spills of algae-based biofuel in water sources, there are no long standing adverse effects on the environment.
• Algae also capture polluting Carbon Dioxide (C02), Nitrogen (N) and emit Oxygen (O)

Studies show that about 60 percent of algal biomass can be converted into biodiesel. The microalgae species are economically beneficial for biodiesel production than other larger algae species.

carbon emission after using algal biodiesel is lower than those of petroleum fuels.
Since biodiesel production from algae is a relatively new technology, more research is needed to cultivate standard protocols for cultivation and large scale commercial algae biodiesel production. Commercial production on a large scale commonly means 1million acres under cultivation. The preferred method to removing algal oils is using an industrial oil press. For more facts on what can be accomplished with algae biofuel visit the Biodiesel 101 E-Library.

The Congressional Budget Office recently completed a study of biofuel tax credits that aimed to determine if existing tax credits favor one type of biofuel over another and estimate the costs of those credits on U.S taxpayers. The study, titled “Using Biofuel Tax Credits to Achieve Energy and Environmental Policy Goals,” was prepared by the CBO at the request of the Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure.

Although the $1 per gallon biodiesel tax credit expired in December 2009, the CBO included it in the analysis. According to the report, this was done to provide policymakers with information on the value of the credit, should they choose to reinstate it in the future. In addition to the biodiesel tax credit, the report includes data related to tax credits for corn and cellulosic ethanol.

The CBO’s main findings included the following:

-The incentives provided by the tax credits differ between the three fuels. When adjusted to reflect the different energy contents of the biofuels, as well as the petroleum fuel used to produce them, the CBO found that corn ethanol producers receive 73 cents for each quantity of ethanol that contains the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline. On the same basis, the incentives for cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel were a respective $1.62 and $1.08 per volume of energy equivalent fuel.

-The cost to taxpayers to use corn ethanol to reduce gasoline consumption by one gallon is $1.78. The same cost for cellulosic ethanol is $3 and the cost for biodiesel was found to be $2.55. According to the CBO, these cost estimates depend on the size of the tax credit for each fuel, changes in federal revenue streams that result from the difference in excise taxes collected on the sales of gasoline and biofuels, and the amount of each biofuel that would have been produced if the credits had not been available.

Source: Biodiesel Magazine