Cyanobacteria: The Next Big Biofuel?
Could cyanobacteria eventually become a more popular biofuel than corn, sugarcane, or even algae? Quite possibly. According to Science Daily, cyanobacteria can convert up to 10 percent of the sun’s energy into biomass.
This is a drastic improvement over the 1 percent rate of crops like corn and sugarcane, as well as the 5 percent rate of algae. With such a high conversion rate, cyanobacteria could replace a hefty amount of fossil fuels without taking up too much land.
At a recent conference organized by the European Science Foundation (ESF), participants discussed how photosynthesis evolved by cyanobacteria produced our current fossil fuel supply. Now the objective is to use those same reactions to produce more fuel—without taking fossil fuels out of the ground.
These reactions could theoretically be created with an artificial leaf system consisting of self-assembling nanodevices that regenerate themselves much like real plants and cyanobacteria do.
But we won’t see such a system on the market anytime soon— the technology will be in development for another 10 to 20 years. In the meantime, however, algae appears to be the most promising biofuel contender.
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August 27th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Biofuel is cool.
Solarenergy and windenergy is the future
August 27th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Cyanobacteria is usually, somewhat incorrectly, referred to as algae. Most experiments to extract fuel from “algae” are technically growing cyanobacteria.
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, blue-green bacteria or Cyanophyta, is a phylum of bacteria that obtain their energy through photosynthesis.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Only one study in this article and no companies that are currently working on this…back up your article.
Algenol is one company that is developing processes to make ethanol from cyanobacteria, also known as blue green algae.
http://www.algenolbiofuels.com/
August 27th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
What a wonderful idea. It would be great if it works.
August 28th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Willy: Thanks for the link to Algenol Biofuels. The carbon-capture angle for their business is enticing. Turning coal plant emissions into plastics is a great idea. As for general fuel production, I’d think that solar thermal plants generating power for electric cars would be more efficient than using the same land and money to produce algae biofuels.
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:06 am
I think algal will be very promising. They grow like crazy and have a great ability to chew up CO2.
March 1st, 2009 at 5:12 pm
The methane from the BS in Washington DC could heat the Eastern Seaboard at least, but getting plans through Congress would require huge amounts of very expensive Castor oil and specially fitted grease guns for the application. We should call in NASA, this could be harder than hitting the moon, and probably more dangerous!
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
In deed Cyanobacteria have a vast scope. Their latest application seems to be as bio fuel.
Webpag: purshotam.kaushik.googlepages.com
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:12 am
I think we need to use Humans as fuel. Too many humans in this world. Cheap and easy to make.
January 9th, 2010 at 7:05 am
In a world of 400% more efficient steel wheel to steel rail electric bullet train intercity networks and battery/rechargeable short hop vehicles, liquid fuels will fall away in importance, and the “Bio” world will certainly be able to provide adequate supplies. It is commonly agreed that the “Light sweet crude oil era” is at its end. American Satellite surveys have concluded that aside from Turkmenistan’s fields no new fields exist on earth. Tar Sands oil from Canada is not cheap, requires much complex processing and is too expensive to be practical over electric rail! America is a totally “Light Sweet Crude oil” dependent society – a sad fact, but true, even their mighty military is coerced by OPEC and the Saudis – remember the boycott in the 70’s? Expect a concerted effort by U.S. Military, if not a “Manhatten Project” style thrust towards synthetic liquid fuel generation very soon! Expect revelations on Middle Eastern reserves to be leaked out by American satellite surveys, soon. Watch for the brilliant Chinese/Asian intellectual pool, they have made considerable advances in Science over America in the last decades, expect cheaper liquid fuels to become an obsession in science fields in decades to come, for military purposes mostly. Remember: Americans have been duped by “big oil” to burn gasoline in low efficiency, low compression, gasoline,spark ignition engines for nearly a century now. Keep in mind that high compression Euro-style diesels are a full guaranteed, field-proven 40% more efficient than low compression gasoline engines! Can you imagine a decree requiring conversion to diesels in a year in America? This would cut oil imports by a full 40% – cut America’s foreign oil bill by 40% in one shot! Do we do this? No, foolishly we subsidize GM an old worn out corporation with immense influence in high places to continue to build gas-guzzlers in hopes that time will run backwards long enough to retire the despots in charge, satisfy Arqb stockholders, there.As the U.S. Dollar approaches a cataclysmic crash, expect mind bending paradigm shifts in the very fabric of America, even revolution, or complete failure in submission to the Asian Factor, OPEC pressures! Liquid fuels are at the heart of the issues in America and the oil wells are running lower as we speak, folks!