Energy Game Changer? Scientists Turn Algae into Crude Oil in Less Than an Hour

reply to post by dlbott


TDP will do it in less than an hour as well. If you look at the guy's description of the process, it's pretty much identical with CWT's version.

Pimpintology
We have known about this tech for quite awhile now. Could have done it a decade ago and they didn't. I seriously doubt it will change anything. You can poke a hole in the ground and this stuff comes out with its own pressure no pump needed. Why would you go through the trouble of growing and harvesting algae?

edit on 25-12-2013 by Pimpintology because: it's Christmas and I'm too fat to type!

Because that poke hole in ground stuff is finite, getting harder to find, more expensive to get, and yes causing wars. It also is polluting the planet.

Everyone in the south knows algae is free. Just put out a pale of water wait about two days and you have algae. Lol this process leaves mostly water as byproduct.

This is like zero point, has potential to change things.

The Bot

reply to post by Bedlam


Well i missed that thanks. The powers that be won't let it happen anyway. They will try and take it to the grave and us with it. I tell ya I am glad I don't have to worry about greed lol.

If not for greed we would live in a much different place, the genius tesla was poised to change the world. Instead they destroyed him and stole his work. I know it is still possible, I just hope I live long enough to see it.

The Bot

wildtimes
Great News!!!

Scientists Turn Algae into Crude Oil in Less Than an Hour[/url]

And wind power is free too, but as long as there are middle men and people in control as to how oil is delivered then prices will never drop significantly.

Until someone comes up with a power source that each person can make and own cheaply, then all the crude, or other natural resources mean very little.

It's not about the resource, but about who controls it, how they control it and the people that purchase it from those that control

Peace,

RT

Eryiedes
[…] According to the top marine biologists, the oceans of the world will be rendered devoid of life within two centuries as a result of Fukashima at this rate.

Where did you read that?

reply to post by LarryLove


I didn't read it anywhere.
It was a scientist Joe Rogan did a podcast with.
I am sorry but his name escapes me.

-Peace-

ravon300
reply to post by wildtimes

 

Wonder what the big Energy company's think of this. Guessing someone will be getting bumped off as this is a game changer if correct

S+F

edit on 25-12-2013 by ravon300 because: (no reason given)

From the article:

It helps to be able to recover fuel gases, because there are still serious energy costs. The system has to run at 350°C and a pressure of 3,000 pounds per square inch.

The only way you're going to get those pressures and temperatures is going to be through a PWR nuclear reactor, or perhaps through geothermal heating systems.

Seems to fit on the abiotic side which was proven about 5 years ago. Is it fantastic news? I don't think so since it requires a process for which they can charge a lot of money for as they do now.

Of course electricity can be produced out of thin air (fundamental property of electricity that is used in all devices) but there is no money in that.

reply to post by wildtimes


Like the man says, this is a huge step in the right direction.

Great find. Thanks.

reply to post by wildtimes

Silly rabbit, energy is only allowed to come from burning of oil. When will these people learn! This will not help keep the war for oil scheme going.

World wide production of crude oil is 84,820,000 million barrels per day (google) each 'barrel' is a unit of 40 gallons, I believe, just where is that amount of 'crude' going to be produced?

pikestaff
World wide production of crude oil is 84,820,000 million barrels per day (google) each 'barrel' is a unit of 40 gallons, I believe, just where is that amount of 'crude' going to be produced?

Much of that crude oil is used to create fuel to transport the fuel around. Imagine if every city could just have a factory where they could make their own fuel.

stormcell
Imagine if every city could just have a factory where they could make their own fuel.

Yeah...they'd all be dirtier, more crime ridden and more in need of police/military presence than they already are.

-Peace-

Bedlam
Well, I'm pretty sure this topic is already a thread, BUT that said, it's not new. And usually, it's a negative balance sort of thing in that it takes more energy to reform the biomass into fuel than you get back from the fuel.

So what! The problem we have with alternate energy (wind,solar, tidal) is the intermittent nature and storage of energy (batteries basically) for mobile use. Oil has a very high density energy storage which makes it very useful as a fuel. If we can create this high density fuel (i.e. store the energy) by utilising alternate energy sources (we currently use practically zero) we will have solved the battery problem AND the hydrogen storage problem. Not only that but we don't have to change our existing engines.

It would be ironic (and a massive mistake) if we end up building algae oil plants where the sun is strongest.......the middle east !!!!!!!

Hi folks,
just wanted to 'check in' - I'm still following the thread.

I wanted to make a couple of comments to those saying "it's just as expensive/very difficult" -

for now, it is, yes.

But the human race has shown over and over how it can use an idea, a simple discovery, and turn it into all sort of previously unimaginable things. I have faith that the Millennials, with the help of the next older generation who are interested in ecology and protection of our Earth (Our Only Home), will develop ways to use the knowledge, implement ways to 'mass produce' it, etc.

After all (as I said in the "hippie" thread), we Boomers were the ones who saw the birth of "Mother Earth News." We were tree-huggers and environmentalists, and many of us still are. We were also pacifists. And not allergic to taking care of others.

reply to post by Eryiedes


It's okay, Eryiedes. I find myself getting more negative (especially during the winter months - I suffer from Seasonal Affective Dysthymic Disorder) but then finding things that renew my innate optimism.

That said, I am frightened by Fukushima and oil spills and fracking and all that stuff. Yes, it's frightening.

I suppose I'm trying to find good news, but I have seen scientific papers about how the radiation may not be the catastrophe that it certainly seems.

I'm a nature/animal lover, and sometimes it's simply too painful for me to look at news pieces or threads about abuses against animals, extinction-level-events on our non-human cohabitants, mass die-offs, and other crushing atrocities. And I think we are quite 'reckless' in misusing and abusing 'inventions' and discoveries. I'm clinging, almost desperately - to save my sanity, to the idea that the radiation is overstated, that the doom-porn about it is sensationalist, and that the upcoming generation of scientists and mathematicians will fight like we want(ed) to.

I'm fully aware that new developments take time, investment, brilliant minds, and patience; that there are many obstacles and limitations - but that people are clever enough to find work-arounds and fixes.

reply to post by wildtimes


Like the article said

petroleum industry can still benefit from the huge reservoir of natural crude that has been stewing and brewing in the rocks over vast periods of geological time.

There's too much money invested into what's going on right now. Especially since Canada already agreed to the gateway pipeline production and a future contract with China.

However!

There's no reason why the technology couldn't be used on a smaller commercial scale. I can envision a 'bio-plant' production facility with large tanks of brewing algae with a refinery in the back. A small fleet of trucks that service hybrid owners or as a wholesale supplier to other 'home grown' bio diesel entrepreneurs.

And do all transactions with bitcoin

yeah, now lets see how long we should wait before it can publicly use.
just like others sciences news before.

This would certainly be a boon to the planet, but, why not reveal the process and share it with the world?
Oh yeah, money.

However, I still say share the info, and then sell the equipment needed to produce this to profit, thus allowing people to have individual algae farms/small businesses and then you have something that impresses me.

But instead, some tycoon/already wealthy biz will just swipe up the patent and the gas crises will never stop.

It's a net positive but you still use more energy creating the oil than you get out of it. Even if everything worked at 100% efficiency you would only get out the amount you put into it. Where this technology has value is that we can essentially start turning excess solar, wind, geothermal, and even nuclear power into barrels of oil for manufacturing and transportation.

It really extends how long the planets oil supplies will last.