With rising populations and rapidly developing nations, the demand for natural resources and energy is always growing. But the exploitation of the Earth's natural resources has come with some unexpected consequences. Carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are changing our climate and threatening many regions of the world with the impacts of global warming. Humans have burned fossil fuels since industrialization to develop their countries and raise their standards of living, but growing concerns over the future supply of these finite resources and the potential impacts of climate change has grown enough to instigate research into alternative energy sources.

Government supported research has made large strides in the production and implementation of Ethanol Alcohol as an alternative fuel for transportation. But Ethanol is primarily produced from food crops such as corn and sugar cane. This has led to a growing opposition for most of the current biofuels, with their requirements of agricultural land use and energy intensive processing. These requirements have added to rising food prices and deforestation, allowing skeptics to claim that the biofuel does more harm than good. There does not appear to be a place in the future for a fuel source that threatens the world's food supply and economy. But this does not appear to be the end of alternative fuels. There is growing hope in another method of producing a biofuel in the form of algae.

Start up companies, government funded research groups, and private businesses are researching the development of a biofuel that can be made from the oils formed by algae. The natural process is quite simple. Algae are autotrophic, marine organisms that produce energy like most other plants, by way of photosynthesis. This energy comes in the form of biomass, or oil. Properly harvested, this oil can be converted to biofuels, usable by all modes of transportation. What researchers are aiming to do is find a way to produce a continuous high yield of the oil so that it can be cultivated, processed, and sold as a biodiesel on a commercial level. It is a combination of high nutrient water, ample light, a large supply of carbon dioxide, and a high-oil content strain of algae that will provide the best bet for success. And several methods are being tested to try to achieve this combination.

Early projects involved shallow, open ponds filled with the algae. These ponds had fundamental flaws however that would lead to many companies giving up on this method. Growing algae outdoors exposes them to elements that can weaken the strain and slow down production. It would also be discovered that when left to natural development, algae does not produce a very high yield of oil. Algae have shown that with increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, production of oil increases.

Advances in engineering would lead to the use of photobioreactors, a method of production that would allow researchers more control over the conditions the algae are exposed to. The reactors allow the controllers to provide all the elements necessary for photosynthesis to occur. The algae are placed in bioreactors which are filled with nutrient-rich water. Scientists then have the ability of increasing the amount of carbon dioxide supplied and can also provide an endless supply of artificial light. The PBRs lessen the exposure to contamination from the open air and allow production to continue year around. This method has proven successful on a small scale but still faces many challenges.

Photobioreactors are still in the experimental stage, and no company is prepared for commercial production. In order for production to increase over time, larger scale reactors that can be controlled outdoors are needed. This requires more researching efforts from scientist and engineers, and is ongoing today. Extracting the oil, the process of separating the oil from the algae, is also still a very high cost process. But the potential economical benefits of successfully implemented algae biofuel has several large companies in the oil industry making large investments for research and development that is expected to lead to the first commercial developments of the fuel.

A large part of what makes algae an attractive fuel source is its ability to effectively consume carbon. This could give energy companies a way to lower their carbon emissions and meet the requirements of new cap and trade systems. These systems set limits to the amount of emissions a factory can produce, and charges for amounts that exceed these limits. If large scale algae farms can be established near these plants, both companies could benefit. Power plants and energy companies could pay to have their pollution consumed by algae farms, and biofuel companies could then have the large supply of carbon needed for mass production. Because algae thrive on high nutrient water, some strains can also grow quite efficiently in waste water. Research is now heading towards a method of growing algae in semi-permeable tubes of wastewater that would be placed in the ocean. This would allow an unlimited amount of space for expanding production and a way of purifying and recycling wastewater.

It is estimated that anywhere from 5 to 10 years of research and development are still needed before this biofuel technology is efficient and affordable enough for consumers. But algae biofuel has already proven itself to be a promising solution for some of the world greatest issues. Growing populations and industrializing nations are depleting water resources and countries are struggling to meet energy demands. As we begin to experience the impacts from our unrestrained consumption of fossil fuels, we now seek technological solutions to get us through these growing issues. This fuel source could end our reliance on foreign oil for energy, it does not require the use of freshwater resources, it does not impact agricultural land use or food stocks, and it has the potential to reduce harmful green house gases emissions that add to global warming. Perhaps algae is the answer to our current energy crisis, and will lead us to our next generation of fuel supply.

Katie Harvey