--- Richard, Yes, I agree with you that the "political" problems of using existing sewage plants and ponds for Algoil range from high-to-insurmountable. I got a cold shoulder from a call placed to the local plant here, which just happens to be perfectly sited for such a dual use.
However, if anyone is ever able to get a single viable sewage plant converted over to algoil, anywhere in the USA, and the accountants agree that the facility has a good ROI, then that single success story could be a perfect model for a nationwide taxpayer initiative ... ... and for letting the voters decide what to do next- and for taking that kind of pragmatic decision out of the hands of lazy bureaucrats, who do not want added responsibility for their jobs. Let OPEC try to digest the effect of that option - as well as a heaping toilet-bowl full of our funky sewage, so to speak. There are probably more wannabe "greens" out there in the general public than the pols realize, since many have a more pressing agenda as first priority. Both hawks and doves, pro-choice and pro-life, unless they are also part of the Petro-mafia-complex, would rather see our transportation-fuel dollars stay here at home. As you know there are many variables to balance for biofuel, and no single plan has appeared to be the best overall choice, outside of placing the algoil ponds next to an existing coal plant. Kertz's system, despite very high output, would be expensive in terms of investment per acre, and possibly too fragile for many areas (not robust in bad weather). The very shallow open-pond is preferable in areas where there is plenty of water, so that evaporation is not a problem. If you have every seen a sliding-form curbing machine in action, then you can realize how simple and cheap a 3 inch deep pond can be... ...and in deserts, some kind of better-engineered floating blanket might work to inhibit evaporation- perhaps a reinforced version of "bubble wrap" similar to what is used in winter for swimming pool heat retention. Fred and I have been brainstorming all of the options, and one of the best combinations for Algoil which does not demand forced CO2 from an adjoining power plant (which BTW is the best option of all, but is their perogative), is the cluster of open-ponds which are "fed" with the cheapest possible carbon source, which is NOT going to be airborne CO2, unfortunately, but could be powdered lignite, or other subgrade of coal+minerals ($30 ton + shipping) The limiting variable for algoil will always be free carbon, and CO2 from air is too diffuse to be the only source, plus it raises water acidity too high. If the value of the biodiesel is around $2+ per gallon wholesale, then that is about 30 cents per pound. Given normal manufacturing realities you cannot pay more than about 6-7 cents for the raw carbon. CO2 from air cost more than that because you must pump as much as 6000 tons of air for every ton of retained carbon (depending on how alkaline the water can be kept). CO2 from air is much more effective when the water is slightly alkaline. The water then acts like a "sponge" for airborne CO2, which can then provide about 30-40% of the need without lowering th pH too much. Crushed lignite, when it contains lots of limestone or soda ash is alkaline and additionally provides the remainder free carbon and iron, which is a fertilizer for algae. I have no doubt that algae can be genetically engineered to thrive on lignite. After all, it has been twenty years since Monsanto (I think it was them) modified a strain which can convert natural gas directly into methanol- NO sunlight required, just heat- something the experts back then said could not be done. Nowadays methane costs too much to use as a feedstock for algae, and the system is not commercially exploited, but it does show that Mother Nature is very adaptable to convert any kind of carbon into lipids. The most ideal situation of all might be an abandoned strip mine, where there is remaining a subgrade strata of lignite or subgrade coal which has been left. That situation is just as easily adapted to aquaculture as to a return to grazing land; and therefore it is win-win, since the land is so poor for anything else. There are actually thousands of square miles of such sites scattered across the US, since coal has been strip-mined for several hundred years, and the old sites are often just abandoned once the subgrade level has been reached. There could end up being a dozen different ways to make biodiesel. Even if it ends up costing slightly more or OPEC lowers the price of oil, we need to keep these dollars at home. This is what the DoE should be focused on doing, NOW... IMHO. Jones
