ast Update: Thursday, July 20, 2006. 7:48pm (AEST)

Micro-algae could provide alternative fuel

South Australia's Research and Development Institute (SARDI) hopes to turn micro-algae into an alternative fuel as part of a million-dollar research program.

SARDI says the organisms are an ideal source of biodiesel because they contain lots of oil and can grow year-round.

The Federal Government is partly funding the three-year program, which costs nearly $1 million.

SARDI spokesman Kevin Williams says the first challenge is to find the best type of algae.

"We'll be starting to select micro-algae from the wild, bring them back to the lab, evaluate growth rates and oil production and at the end of 3 years we hope to have some idea of growth and take that up to pilot scale production," he said.

Dr Williams says algae could be used to power cars in the future.

"Micro-algae have been shown in the past to produce up to 30 times more oil per unit land area, so we're hoping to achieve growth rates in Australia and create economic feedstock for biodiesel production," he said.

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Proposed Algae Equipment Manufacturers and Supply Channel Partner Presentations – April 2009

Algae is a source of biomass that can produce many types of biofuels, including biodiesel, ethanol, biocrude, jet fuel, and renewable diesel. Algae is a renewable fuel feedstock, does not affect the food channel and consumes C02. The byproduct biomass is used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, bio-plastics, and organic fertilizer. The National Algae Association, the first national trade association for the algae biofuels industry, brings algae companies and algae researchers from the US and around the world to exchange information to overcome technological hurdles.

The Department of Energy projects in its Energy Information Administration/Short-Term Energy Outlook - January 2009 that USpetroleum consumption will be 19.12 million barrels per day in 2009, increasing to 19.28 million barrels per day in 2010. This is down from the average of 19.51 million barrels per day in 2008. We have proven that when the price skyrocketed, we were able to live with less petroleum, but with prices more reasonable, our consumption will increase. What steps have we taken to prevent our being held captive to those high prices aga in?

Bill Gates recently showed his support for algae by investing $100 million in Sapphire Energy, one of our members. That company provided the algae for the recent test flight conducted by Continental Airlines. The preliminary results of that flight were better than expected, and there is no reason not to proceed with algae production. Interestingly, Sapphire is also working on algae as an alternative for automobile fuel.

Many other companies are starting up algae oil production plants across the United States, creating jobs and energy security for our country. In furthering its mission of fast-tracking commercialization of algae, our next quarterly forum will focus on equipment – in very basic terms, what is needed and what is already available.

Please let us know if you would be interested in presenting your equipment capabilities at our next quarterly conference, April 30-May 1, 2009, to assist the algae oil production and biomass industry.

Thank you, 

National Algae Association, The Woodlands, Texas 

www.nationalalgaeassociation.com

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Future of fuel in our forests; 

STUART INNES STUART INNES 
The Advertiser (Adelaide, Australia)   02-25-2009 

Future of fuel in our forests

Byline: STUART INNES Edition: 1 State
Section: News

SOUTH Australia is to play a big role in producing ethanol for fuel which eventually will replace up to a quarter of the petrol used in cars, a GM Holden expert says. 

Forests, including pine plantations in the South-East and even Mallee scrub saltbush, would make ideal sources of raw material for ethanol, director of energy and environment for GM Holden, Richard Marshall, said yesterday. 
He confirmed an E85 version of the Commodore - able to run on up to 85 per cent ethanol/15 per cent petrol - would come off the Holden production line at Elizabeth as early as next year. 

Ethanol is made of plant and vegetable matter, which can be regrown. As such, it is renewable, unlike petrol and diesel. 

Mr Marshall was commenting on findings of a nine-month U.S. study by Sandia National Laboratories and General Motors Corporation. 

That says plant and forestry waste and dedicated energy crops could replace nearly a third of U.S. gasoline use by 2030. 

Mr Marshall said in Australia, where ethanol is in a fledgling state, raw stock mainly would come from sugar cane and wheat starch. 

"There would be no food for fuel," he said of any fear growing plants for fuel would be at the cost of crops for food. Other sources would be waste material, such as plantation timber, and "more specialised crops" from such dry areas as Mallee saltbush. 

A tax and cost incentive strategy from governments, as called for in the U.S. study, would be needed to make the final product attractive. 

Mr Marshall estimated Australia could have 20 to 25 per cent of petroleum use replaced by ethanol at a viable price.

((C) Copyright Nationwide News Pty Limited)