The Pros and Cons of Algae Biofuel by Bjorklund Ruth;

Author:Bjorklund, Ruth;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing LLC

Bumps in the Road 41

understand is that the market for algae for wastewater treatment is quite

limited. For very simple reasons, like you need land and where you have

lots of people and lots of municipal wastewater, you don’t often have a lot

of land.”

When algae is grown outdoors, the serious problem of contamination

often arises. Contamination comes from other, unwanted algae, as well

as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. When algae is contaminated, it turns

from green to brown or black in just a few days, dying off until there

is only water left. Professor Qiang Hu, who heads the Arizona State

University algae research team, says that “the number one challenge the

emerging algae industry faces today is algal culture protection. Without

solving this problem, you won’t have an industry for biofuels.” To combat

unwanted algae from taking over the biofuel algae crop, growers must

spend money to cover the ponds. Also, to comply with US EPA water

regulations, the bottoms of open ponds and trenches must be lined to

prevent leakage into nearby groundwater.

Closed Systems

Many algal biofuel producers have chosen to grow their crops in

containers, bioreactors, greenhouses, and photo-bioreactors. The prime

benet in closed systems is the ability to control contamination and to

recycle water use. Studies have shown it is possible to grow ten times

more algae in a bioreactor than in an open pond. Yet there are numerous

problems with closed systems. First of all, building the structures is very

expensive. They require plumbing, pumps, special mixtures of carbon

dioxide, and other substances. In the instance of closed containers and

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