It is important to understand how algae biodiesel works. The more that you understand about alternative energy options, the better off you will be when it comes to making a decision on which will work best for you. Algae biodiesel is a significant alternative to fossil fuel in that it is able to provide you with a safer and cheaper option that can get you much further.
When you are looking at converting algae to biodiesel, you will find that there is a lot that goes into it. For instance, growing algae can be quite a chore. While this type of plant can grow in most any type of conditions, such as extreme hot or cold temperatures, even underwater, it takes a lot to keep it up. For decades now, scientists have been looking for ways that we will be able to use this alternative as it burns much cleaner and is much more efficient when compared to petroleum. Whenever the process of biodiesel production is taking place, the algae will consume carbon dioxide. Using photosynthesis, algae will take carbon dioxide that is in the air and replace it with oxygen. Because of this, the biodiesel manufacturers that deal with algae are working to build biodiesel type plants that work as energy manufacturing plants. These plants will be able to produce plenty of oxygen as a byproduct, so that there will be much less pollution.
Other than getting biodiesel from algae there are many other things that it can do. Whenever algae is pressed, it can also be used for fertilizers as well as feedstock. Those that make biodiesel say that they can make more than 100,000 gallons of algae per acre every single year depending on the method of the actual oil extraction as well as the type of the algae they use and how it is grown. Although as much algae as possible is currently needed to successfully replace petroleum, there are still several other things it can be used for.
When put in comparison to corn or palm, algae can outperform these other products. For instance, a biodiesel plant that has one hundred acres of algae can produce up to ten million gallons of biodiesel in just one year. In order to completely replace petroleum, algae biodiesel production will need to be up to one hundred and forty billion gallons a year. This means that 95 million acres of land would be needed in order to build a sufficient number of biodiesel plants. This is in comparison to the other biodiesel products that need acres in the billions in order to get the job done. Algae is able to be grown indoors, which is one of the many things that puts it ahead of the rest of the other alternatives.
