Hi Lowell >A lot of lit on this subject during 1980s. Search on "NTIS" which is U.S. >gov repository for gov funded research. The critters you want info on are >called "Microalgae" not algae and they produce Lipids" which you and I call >"oil". If you want info about getting the oil out of the microalgae search >on the net for "Lipid Extraction". Most of NTIS research on this is under >program called "Aquatic Species Program". Try to get 1987 and 1985 reports. >Each report cost me at least $30 to $60. Solar Energy Institute in Golden >CO. published a neat small report in 1985 called Fuel options from >Microalgae dated July 1984. If you get into this you will need to buy quite >a few chemicals, some common like Epsom Salt, baking soda and some pretty >exotic. If you want to look at "houses" for your critters search on the net >for "photobioreactor" . Tried this once and failed. Also wife and daughters >saw no humor in growing "pond scum" in the house. May try this one day when >I get some space out of the house but am more interested in finding cheap >sources of oil seeds. Hope this helps. Good luck.
You're not the first to reach that conclusion. Previously a list member set up ponds and so on and was going ahead full-steam but we never heard any more about it. Another list member researched the subject, he had good technical resources, and concluded that it's a waste of time right now, it just isn't there yet, at least not at a doable small-scale level. Marc Carduso of Ecogenics has posted several upbeat messages on the subject in the last few weeks. He's talked of "Algae production for food fuel and fertiliser", "algaeculture technology for oil production and algae based " Living fuel cell" technology", and referred list members to his website for further information. www.dabney.com/ecogenics/ I didn't find much information there, maybe I should have looked harder. I saw some photographs that looked to me like water hyacinth and duckweed, nice for greywater/blackwater treatment systems. I guess there's something I'm missing. I'm not being sceptical, just need more info I think. What's not clear to me is whether Marc has actually succeeded in producing lipids from algae in usable form and quantity. When last we heard Marc hadn't made any biodiesel yet but would be doing so soon. I don't know if Marc has made yet biodiesel from algae lipids. Can you tell us a bit more Marc? Meanwhile, personally I take your view Lowell, cheap sources of oil seeds are more interesting. There's huge and very largely unexplored potential in oil-bearing plants, as well as in productive and efficient ways of producing them. For instance, a quick search of James Duke's Handbook of Energy Crops finds 62 legumes, both plants and trees, either of which can be fitted to the cropping and growing patterns on integrated sutainable farms in a variety of ways, perhaps as cover crops, interplanted or undersown, for forage or green manure, earning their keep independently of their oil potential, which would come as a bonus produced without the dedicated use of of any land, or time and labour. Trees can be even more interesting. That's just some of the legumes. http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/dukeindex.html Handbook of Energy Crops Index Best Keith >Lowell > >>From: "balaji" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>Reply-To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com >>To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> >>Subject: Re: [biofuel] Re: oil from algae... >>Date: Sat, 1 May 2004 19:48:23 +0530 >> >>Hi all, >>So am I. >>Balaji, >>Chennai, TN, India >> >>----- Original Message ----- >>From: "Pieter Koole" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> >>Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 1:26 AM >>Subject: Re: [biofuel] Re: oil from algae... >> >> >> > I am interested as well. >> > >> > Met vriendelijke groet, >> > Pieter Koole >> > Netherlands. >> > >> > >> > >> > The information contained in this message (including attachments) is >> > confidential, and is intended for the addressee(s) >> > only. If you have received this message in error please delete it and >> > notify the originator immediately. The unauthorized use, disclosure, >> > copying or alteration of this message is strictly forbidden. We will not >>be >> > liable for direct, special, indirect or >> > consequential damages arising from alteration of the contents of this >> > message by a third party or in case of electronic communications as a >>result >> > of any virus being passed on. >> > >> > >> > ----- Original Message ----- >> > From: "wwschnabel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> > To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> >> > Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 4:42 AM >> > Subject: Re: [biofuel] Re: oil from algae... >> > >> > >> > > I asked a while ago if anyone had any info on Oil from algae. >> > > >> > > What I would like to do is an experiment. >> > > >> > > Does anyone have any info on how exactly to extract the oil from >>algae? >> > Could I do it in a home lab? >> > > >> > > Thanks, >> > > >> > > Bill ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/