Comments on: New Facility Uses Algae to Turn Coal Pollution Into Fuel

By: sandra

sandra — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:08:31 +0000

There’s still the question of the MERCURY which is carried along with the co2 in coal-burn emissions. How do we prevent the algae from taking THAT in and passing it to the biodiesel and animal feed (and then on to US)?

By: don steinke

don steinke — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:40:44 +0000

I hope this idea works, but if algae require an enriched CO2 environment to be cost effective, then we will continue to add CO2 to the air as we burn algaefuel in our cars.

Better yet . . .
Instead of burning algaefuel in mobile engines and releasing the CO2 to the air, the algae fuel should be be burned in the same power plant that produced the CO2 in the first place. The cellulosic waste should also be burned in the same facility. This might reduce processing costs.

Cars can be run on the electricity produced, without releasing carbon.

By: Simon Le Chene

Simon Le Chene — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:49:12 +0000

I sincerely think that this is one of the best ideas to curb our dependence on oil and that this new project of producing bio-diesel with algea and coal is the way of the future. Congratulations on this genius idea.

Simon Le Chene,

PS, How can we help and invest in this new project?

By: Permaculture Man

Permaculture Man — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:18:20 +0000

I’ve seen this technology showcased in a South African project over a year ago. A local publication called Biophile ran an article on this process. More at http://biophile.co.za/the-biofiles/90-biodiesel-reactors-for-south-africa

By: Helio

Helio — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:45:20 +0000

Not only do algae enjoy the CO2, but regular trees and bushes and other chlorophyll bearing plants enjoy it.
So even though the plant is spewing all that “green house” gas, CO2 into the air, it gets used by plants and transformed into O2.

Using CO2 for algae production is a good idea, but the way it was before is not the nightmare that everyone thinks it is.

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:41:41 +0000

Blah, you kept the first one and threw out the other two.. the third one had the correct web address listed. Oh well.

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:32:36 +0000

Thanks for posting this article and reinforcing the legitimacy of my plans. One of many parts of the project is to put any exhaust from on-site diesel generators back into the water to recycle the CO2 generated.

Algae also pull metals like gold and platinum and uranium out of the water. Would be interesting to see what’s floating around in all that coal exhaust.

By: Mar

Mar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:54:03 +0000

Here is something that amazes me about all this. This very thing should have been done YEARSSSSSSSSSSS ago and other ways of handling this growing problem should have been implemented years ago as well. It is funny how now that the earths oxygen level has decreased dramatically. Now these a wipes are now going to do something about it. Amazing. How many more people have to die because of there stupidity. Yes at the current rate more will die. Gesh people wake the hell up and start educating yourself. Shakes my head at humanity. It truly has became stupid race, because sadly we refused to use our brains and learn about all things and process it all and do things differently. Amazing!!

By: Jay

Jay — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:30:10 +0000

What kind of new Mad cow like bug will they give to our livestock this time that will bass on to us? What elese is in the emissions they aren’t telling us? What new cancers could come of this? Our livestocks do not eat Algae. I guess putting meat scraps back into the livestocks of cows food didn’t have a backlash. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.

By: Mattias Aldaron

Mattias Aldaron — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:59:55 +0000

Ok,

CO2 itself is not the issue. Adding CO2 to the atmospere is the issue. And this scheme will add CO2 to the atmosphere period.

Using (CH2)n as an approximation for hydrocarbons.

Burning Coal:
(CH2)n + O2 -> CO2 + H20

Algae:
CO2 + H20 + sunshine -> (CH2)n

Burning Algae product:
(CH2)n + O2 -> CO2 + H20

Under this scheme, CO2 will increase just as much as without it.

Want to grow algae? Feed them CO2 from the atmosphere! This is just a publicity ploy to make coal look better.