Posted on 07/16/2009 10:43:11 AM PDT by newbie2008
Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. is making a major jump into renewable energy with a $600 million investment in algae-based biofuels.
Exxon is joining a biotech company, Synthetic Genomics Inc., to research and develop next-generation biofuels produced from sunlight, water and waste carbon dioxide by photosynthetic pond scum.
(Excerpt) Read more at scientificamerican.com ...
Hey, you Exxon morons. Come on over to my farm and I’ll let you have all the algae you want from my ponds!
If the govt wants to increase fuel mileage, switch all vehicles to diesel. 20% increase right there. Couple with a hybrid drive, should be able to increase mileage by 30-40%.
In all seriousness, I’ve been following these guys. They’ve gengineered an algae that basically produces diesel directly. This has real potential.
More liberal insanity. Meanwhile the radical enviro-nazis will push for legislation that requires the use of technology that DOES NOT EXIST or may never exist. But they will try to legislate it into existence....just like they want to legislate certain people OUT OF EXISTENCE with Obama DeathCare.
Total runaway liberal insanity.
I think they have several reasons for doing this.
1. It might actually work.
2. It might work when propped up by federal subsidies.
3. It helps counter the leftist propaganda that Exxon-Mobil is an evil, greedy oil company that should be socked with higher taxes.
This is relative pocket change for a company this size. But it may improve relations with the leftists who are currently in control of things.
(“Everywhere I look, in fact, nothin’ but undeveloped, un-evolved, barely conscious pond scum. Totally convinced of their own superiority as they scurry about their short, pointless lives . . .”
Commentary of ‘Edgar/Bug’ from the Columbia motion picture, Men in Black.)
http://www.jimnicholsufo.com/growing-up-with-flying-saucers/
That use to be considered horror/science fiction. Now it’s in the latest budget proposal by the Democrats. That’s their solution to Welfare and Social Security.
FReeper shorting Exxon Mobil stock.
“2. It might work when propped up by federal subsidies.
3. It helps counter the leftist propaganda that Exxon-Mobil is an evil, greedy oil company”
I’ll take No.’s 2 and 3 for $400.00 Alex.
Agreed. Biodiesel from algae is the ONLY biofuel that stands a realistic chance of making a significant contribution — mainly because of its enormous per-acre yield.
Algea is interesting. If they can keep the buggers alive long enough, they can produce cost competitive fuel. That is a big if and die off has been a huge problem.
Now, I don’t like the greenies and I don’t believe in man made global warming but if it is cost effective and lowers energy imports, I’m all for it.
Does Ted Kennedy have enough stem cells for this?
$600 million for advertising
The tech in question does exist.
Pond scum just went WAY high on the Sierra clubs endangered species list.
"But Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said the RFS expansion is too restrictive and could freeze out emerging technologies -- including algae-based biofuels."
I have heard estimates that algae oil can be grown from select species of algae on levels up to 20,000 gallons/year/acre. With such production capacities, we would be able to replace our entire transportation fleet fossil fuel requirement with the same acreage that we now grow sunflowers. If they can get the costs of production down, we will have a solar energy to fuel process at our disposal. Such will buy us time until low temperature fusion has been achieved.
The tech in question does exist.
:::::
Yes, there are many power technologies that EXIST. But only a few are PRACTICAL, COST-EFFECTIVE AND AVAILABLE. Nothing can replace oil or nuclear at this stage. Even the French recognize the practicality of both — but our socialist, green-pandering liberals will not let us pursue any of it. It would cost them campaign contributions. God forbid.
Pond scum just went WAY high on the Sierra clubs endangered species list.
There’s the clincher. Algae to biodiesel is likely to be the one biofuel technology that could actually work AND be cost effective. Therefore the greenies must stop it. The only thing that would make the greenies happy in the end is mass extermination. Remember, the greenies believe that humanity is a virus infecting the Earth Mother Goddess Gaia. At the core, the greenies are a suicide death cult.
I hereby propose using lake Apopka in Florida for this purpose ... it is huge, located in sunny Florida so the algae will grow quickly and is polluted and no longer usable for fishing (it was a fishing destination for the whole USA up to the 1940’s/50’s) ... farmland/muckland runoff is currently captured and routed away from the lake and opening up that runoff to the lake will create fuel for the algae and will use up the fertilizer runoff nicely... I like it...
That number is correct for open pond cultivation. For so-called "closed loop" systems in greenhouses, the number goes up to around 100,000 gallons/year/acre. It eliminates the problem of invasive, indigenous algae species that have minimal oil content.
My pool pump broke so I’ll be happy to help them out.
This is what I have been waiting for....This is the end to foreign oil demands and arabs ruling the industrial world....
This Alge oil can be “grown” anywhere, can be processed with out poluting, uses “waste” QUALITY water AND BE TURNED INTO GASOLINE WITH THE CURRENT REFINERIES.
I have just been waiting for the news to break, and this is the real reason the price of oil is dropping....this will come on line much quicker than people realize....and Exxon and Mobil are going to grow like never before...
You are correct. According to Vertigro, which is a company that specializes in vertical growing systems, they could potentially grow 100,000 to 200,000 gallons of algae oil per acre per year. If this method is perfected, our energy problem is solved. What are we waiting for?
Algae floats and likes saltwater. 70% of Earth's real estate is covered by saltwater and is free for the taking. A benefit is there are much fewer sun blocking clouds far from land. They are locating the research center near the ocean which might mean they are considering going offshore, where laws, lawyers, leftists are far and few between.
For the same reason they demonize Sarah Palin, articles like this often call algae pond scum and are filled with emotional derogatory snipes. Leftists are very worried this might actually work, and will preserve the modern way of life. Synthetic Genomics genetically engineers new man-made life forms. The leftists will probably go after that angle, fighting any environmental release of man-made microbes as if it was radioactive.
Keep helen, nancy, janet and madelin out of the ponds.
Open pond 20,000 gallons/acre-year
Greenhouse type cultivation 100,000 gallons/acre-year.
This is generally 50 times the yield of soybean based biodiesel (which is another diversion of a food crop).
versus
corn based ethanol 250 gallons/acre-year.
cattail based ethanol at best 10,000 gallon/acre-year. But at least it does not divert a food crop - it can serve double duty as the polishing stage of wastewater treatment.
But of course the greenies will insist on corn based ethanol, and bash algae based biodiesel.
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