Alternative Fuel Sources - Hydrogen and Fuel Cells: Advances in Transportation and Power - page 94

ter and has the potential to replace gasoline in the U.S. Algae as a feed-
stock for biofuels has many advantages over other biomass sources and it
will eventually overshadow all others. But, large-scale production is still
years away.
Algae are highly efficient as converters of solar energy into chemical
fuel. Some strains are over 50% oil and their yield per acre is very high. The
average per-year, per-acre oil yield for algae grown for use in the food and
pharmaceutical industries today is enough to make about 5,000 gallons
of biodiesel. In comparison, an acre of soybeans typically yields enough
oil to make about 70 gallons of biodiesel and an acre of corn will provide
about 420 gallons of ethanol. The potential yield of algae according to the
Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is up to
15,000 gallons of biodiesel a year from a saltwater pond.
Ocean Technology & Environmental Consulting (OTEC) is develop-
ing photobioreactors that produce algae in layers or shallow ponds. These
organisms also thrive on harmful emissions such as nitrogen from waste-
water and carbon dioxide from power plants. Growing them may help
to solve some environmental problems while providing a source of fuel.
OTEC is working on the Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin, Nevada.
It will install photobioreactors to capture the carbon emissions from the
plant. The CO 2 will then be used to increase production at a nearby site.
GreenFuel Technology Corporation of Cambridge, MA is working
with power plants in Arizona, Louisiana and Germany to build algae pro-
ducing photobioreactors. Recent tests by GreenFuel showed that its sys-
tem captured about 80% of the CO 2 emitted during the daytime sun.
HYDROGEN FUEL
The costs associated with making a changeover to hydrogen fuel
seems high, but the environmental costs of finding, transporting and
burning fossil fuels are not included in the current energy pricing struc-
ture. The costs of atmospheric pollution may be billions of dollars in addi-
tional health care costs as well as forest and crop losses and the corrosion
of buildings and other structures.
Many groups in the U.S., Germany, Japan, France and other countries
are involved in hydrogen research and development. Hydrogen fueled en-
gines tend to be more energy efficient because of their complete combustion.
Gasoline and diesel engines form carbon deposits and acids that erode the