 Email this article to a friend  Printable Version FREE Email Newsletter
(NaturalNews) A new company called Sapphire Energy claims that it has developed a process for turning algae into crude oil, which can then be used to make fuel for automobiles or even jets.
According to Sapphire CEO Jason Pyle, the green-colored crude oil is chemically equivalent to the fossil fuel version and could be processed into fuel at any refinery. Production costs are equivalent to those of extracting the petroleum from oil sands or deep-water reserves. Pyle says that the company has already produced diesel, jet fuel and premium-grade gasoline from its crude.
In addition to algae and sunlight, the oil manufacturing process requires non-potable water and carbon dioxide. Because the process takes carbon dioxide out of the air, this could hypothetically balance out the carbon dioxide that would be emitted when the biofuel is burned. Pyle says that the new fuel could reduce U.S. dependence on foreign petroleum and enable consumption to continue at modern rates even as global oil supplies dwindle. Finally, in contrast with other biofuels, algae does not compete with food crops for land.
Don Anair, vehicles analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists, called Sapphire's project encouraging but refrained from giving it his endorsement until he could see how much greenhouse gas is emitted throughout the entire production-combustion process.
In addition, Anair said, "Changing to this green crude could certainly have very good benefits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, but it may not address some of the traditional tailpipe pollutants that are responsible for smog or ozone."
According to Pyle, the algae fuel should pollute less than traditional gasoline because it does not contain either nitrogen or sulfur, which combine with oxygen to form common pollutants such as smog. But Anair noted that all fuels are exposed to nitrogen from the air during combustion.
Sapphire hopes to have its fuels commercially available in three years, with full-scale production in five.
Sources for this story include: www.latimes.com.
Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter
|
Explore NaturalPedia.com, the internet's largest natural health encyclopedia of knowledge, covering over 50,000 topics. It's free!
Visit NaturalPedia.com.
|
 FREE Report: The Five Best Anti-Viral Products to Beat Influenza, Swine Flu, Bird Flu and SARS
• Top anti-viral remedies
• Where to get them now
• Four things to avoid
• Become self-reliant
• Boost your family safety
Click here to read the FREE report now.
|
W.H.O. Declares Global Pandemic
Turn FEAR into Confidence!
Listen to the complete 3.5 hour recording on 4 audio CDs of the Health Ranger's Swine Flu Advanced Preparedness Course, covering natural anti-virals, family safety, infrastructure disruptions, quarantine, preparedness gear and much more.
Testimonials:
"Mike Adams' preparedness course turned our fears into confidence. This is POWERFUL information, coming from a trusted source. If you want to save yourself countless hours researching and getting prepared and if you want to do everything in your power to protect your family, I highly recommend the Health Ranger’s Advanced Preparedness Course."
- N. Nelson (Arizona)
"This is packed information no one should miss."
- T. Valenzuela
"Thanks Mike... during this class you covered prevention and preparedness from A to Z with integrity, brave honesty and outstanding knowledge! Thank you for your steadfast, thorough and cool-headed approach to well being. With deep gratitude for your service." - Bev
Available NOW for immediate shipping.
100% satisfaction guarantee
 NEW Product: Valley of Longevity Shampoo from the Health Ranger
• 98% Organic
• 100% Natural
• 100% Fragrance Free!
• No SLS
• No Parabens
• No synthetic chemicals
• FREE shipping in U.S. on orders over $75
Click here to read more...
|
|
|
Email this article to a friend
Share this article on: 