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Green Crude

Bill M
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San Diego based Sapphire Energy claims they have achieved the ability to cost-effectively mass produce carbon-neutral oil that can be refined into gasoline from algae.  They also claim that production will not hijack arable land or fresh water resources.  Some experts are skeptical, yet cautiously optimistic that while Sapphire's carbon-neutral "green crude" isn't a perfect solution to our energy crisis, they just might be on to something.

 

Photo : Sapphire Energy

Comments

Yeah, everything I've seen

Submitted by davidgrenier on Mon, 07/07/2008 - 21:16.
Yeah, everything I've seen says that algae-based bio-oil looks really good on paper and could be the solution the the liquid-fuels problem (especially if combined with conservation methods). To date its just vaporware as noone has come up with a scalable production method, but it gives me hope.

More efficient than Ethanol

Submitted by Haha Yeah on Thu, 07/10/2008 - 17:09.
More Algae per acre can be grown and turned into fuel than Corn being grown per acre for Ethenol. http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/359.html

fungible

Submitted by vivifidal on Thu, 07/10/2008 - 23:32.
This is a very interesting word that pops up in the article. Means virtually interchangeable in use to crude oil which means it could be used for plastics and various other things. I once toyed with the idea of bioculture in plastic domes that could convert completely nonarable land into production sites for everything from cultured meat to pharmaceuticals using bioengineered cells in clusters of domes that would look like fields of giant mushrooms. maybe even in space.

At least, it's the appropriate color

Submitted by Aloysius on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 01:44.
It fits into the agenda. Good for the ones who can afford it. It will be a green alternative fuel, always more expensive than big oil, of course. This is just clever marketing.