Hi all,
Here t'is, at
last, grow-your-own fuel - from little ol' Noo Zealand would you
believe?
Regards,
Bob.
NZ firm makes bio-diesel from sewage in world
first
By Errol Kiong A New Zealand company has successfully turned sewage into modern-day gold. Marlborough-based Aquaflow Bionomic yesterday announced it had produced its first sample of bio-diesel fuel from algae in sewage ponds. It is believed to be the world's first commercial production of
bio-diesel from "wild" algae outside the laboratory - and the company
expects to be producing at the rate of at least one million litres of the
fuel each year from Blenheim by April.
To date, algae-derived fuel has only been tested under
controlled conditions with specially grown algae crops, said spokesman
Barrie Leay. Aquaflow's algae, however, were derived from excess pond
discharge from the Marlborough District Council's sewage treatment works.
Algae take most chemicals out of sewage, but having too many of them taints
the water and produces a foul smell.
Creating fuel from the algae removes the problem while producing
useful clean water, said Mr Leay. The clean water can then be used for
stock food, irrigation and, if treated properly, for human consumption.
Mr Leay said the process could also benefit dairy farmers and
food processors as the algae also thrive in those industries' waste
streams.
And unlike some bio-fuel sources which require crops to be specially
grown - using more land, fuel, chemicals and fertilisers - the algae
already exist extensively.
To get the fuel, the algae are processed into a pulp before lipid oils
are extracted to be turned into bio-diesel.
Ref: New Zealand Herald website.
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