Algae to be used to make ‘green oil’
It’s hoped that the Algae Biofuel Challenge will boost efforts to
create a commercially viable microalgae bio-oil by providing grant
funding for research and by building a demonstration plant to prove the
concept at a commercial scale.
Initial forecasts suggest that by 2030, fuel made from algae could replace more than 70 billion litres of fossil fuels used in road transport and aviation each year – equivalent to 12 per cent of annual global jet fuel consumption or six per cent of road transport diesel. And, according to the Carbon Trust, it could potentially save more than 160 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions globally.
‘Everyone agrees that to tackle climate change we must develop new and cleaner fuels,’ said Andrew Adonis, the UK’s transport minister. ‘This project demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that second-generation biofuels
are truly sustainable – and will further our understanding of the potential for microalgae to be refined for use in renewable transport fuel development, to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.’
Unlike conventional biofuels made from crops, algae can be grown in the sea or in wastewater, while delivering six to ten times more energy per hectare than first-generation biofuels and avoiding many of the negative environmental, ecological and social impacts associated with them.
January 2009
Initial forecasts suggest that by 2030, fuel made from algae could replace more than 70 billion litres of fossil fuels used in road transport and aviation each year – equivalent to 12 per cent of annual global jet fuel consumption or six per cent of road transport diesel. And, according to the Carbon Trust, it could potentially save more than 160 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions globally.
‘Everyone agrees that to tackle climate change we must develop new and cleaner fuels,’ said Andrew Adonis, the UK’s transport minister. ‘This project demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that second-generation biofuels
are truly sustainable – and will further our understanding of the potential for microalgae to be refined for use in renewable transport fuel development, to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.’
Unlike conventional biofuels made from crops, algae can be grown in the sea or in wastewater, while delivering six to ten times more energy per hectare than first-generation biofuels and avoiding many of the negative environmental, ecological and social impacts associated with them.
January 2009
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