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| Clean Biofuel for Everyday Use |
Imagine one sunny day, cruising down the road in your brand new convertible. All is well until out of nowhere, your dreaded fuel light of death turns on! As you desperately search for a cheap place to refuel, you are shocked to see that gas is over $10 dollars a gallon! Confused and wondering how the heck can gas be so expensive, you then have no choice but to look at other modes of transportation. Lucky for us that isn’t the case today, however we can’t say much about the future. As we all know, oil and gasoline are finite resources that one day will run dry. Now although there have been many advancements for renewable energy through wind, water, and the sun, there are still other options that haven’t been so popularized. One in particular that we will focus on is seaweed. In a journal written by Elizabeth Fusco and Timothy Dowding, they discuss how the biofuel seaweed can be a sustainable resource for the future. The name of the journal is An Alternative Source of Energy: The Production of Biofuels from Seaweed.
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| Simple Seaweed That Turns to Fuel |
Fusco and Dowding begin by telling us exactly how crippling our dependence to oil actually is. The U.S. alone consumed over 19 million barrels of oil in 2010 and numbers are steadily rising. The high demand for oil will eventually lead to an increase in the global market. The United States is the leading consumer of oil, but produces none of its oil supply. The U.S. imports their supply of oil from other countries such as: Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. However, the oil from each of these countries presents an individual problem with their quality of oil. To save the U.S. from cleaning other sources of oil, researchers have decided to look into ways that may produce a cleaner and more cost effective oil. A source that is being researched is seaweed.
Seaweed would be grown on a large scale and in polluted areas. The seaweed would absorb the inorganic nutrients from the water and eventually produce a biofuel, while decreasing pollution as well. This will also increase the amount of oxygen in the water and improve the water quality. Extra seaweed can be converted into biodiesel, while the carbohydrates can be converted into ethanol. A research study at the University of Connecticut is utilizing its time to determine how to alleviate pollution in the Long Island sound. The study has also shown that the remains of the seaweed can also be used for animal feed. If this project were proven true, it would create such a huge impact on the world. Oil could potentially be reserved and at a reasonable price, but we could have a back-up plan in case anything were to go wrong. It is crucial that we start conducting research now, because there is only so much time left until oil becomes even more scarce. Who knew that the future of the world would be in the hands of a slippery algae?
Chirag,
ReplyDeleteI think a new source of fuel is what the world needs. I find myself going to the gas station every week or so and it really burns holes in my pockets. Though seaweed would have never come to mind! I think its very cool that people can find other sources to be able to use that will be more beneficial to the environment. Who knows what the future will hold. Hopefully researchers will come up with another source for fuel that will be affordable and better for the world all together. Nice post !
The fact that we do need new ways to be able to power our everyday lives is very crucial. As a man that loves the water, I didn't know that there was a certain plant that grows underneath the sea that can be used as a source of fuel! If we could figure out a way to be able to use the hydrilla that grows at the bottom of the Potomac River here in Virginia, we might be able to help control the fish population a little more. Because of all the hydrilla, there is less light, which means less life, and if there's less life, then there is less food for all of the wildlife that live in the water. Also we would be able to make a fuel from it which can in itself help out environment.
ReplyDeleteWow! I've never heard of this before and it sounds really interesting. I'm curious to know what the study thinks that could be a downfall of this alternative resource. I mean there would have to so much seaweed grown to meet the demand and in that case would the amount grown affect the amount of oxygen in the ocean. Would it be detrimental in that case? How could this be accomplished effectively without disturbing more environments than what we already do for our quest for coal and oil?
ReplyDeleteHey Chirag,
ReplyDeleteI hope picture of that car you put up in the beginning looks like mine in the future. I really like how you made your post entertaining by introducing the topic with a story. I'm sure other readers will agree with me when I say that professional or not, anyone would find you're post interesting. I agree with Katana on how we are in grave need for a new source of fuel. My car is a gas guzzler and we shouldn't wait on trying to find a solution for new fuel later on a it will be too late. The time is now!
Chirag,
ReplyDeleteI had no clue that seaweed could be use as an alternative solution for fuel. I always heard of alternative sources for energy like water, sun and wind like you mentioned before, but I never heard of seaweed. I have done a lot of research on non-renewable resources like oil and I agree with you that eventually it will run out. Finding an alternative source like seaweed is important because it will save a lot of money and we're going to need a back up plan like you said.