Is pond scum the answer to the fuel crisis?
A lot of very bright people are taking seriously the idea that pond scum (algae to be precise) could play a role in easing the energy problems besetting the airline industry.
“Algae have shown significant potential to address some of the world’s most pressing issues,” contends the Algal Biomass Organization (ABO). Among those issues are: “climate and pollution concerns, alternate fuels and global economic development.”
Commercial aviation is certainly interested in the potential. Two key officials from Boeing, the world's largest airplane-maker are co-chairing a conference this October in Seattle to discuss how best to harness algae’s potential.
Here’s the essence of that potential according to ABO: “Algae are an ideal low-cost, renewable and environmentally progressive raw material that can be converted into biofuels. They can grow rapidly (doubling in biomass in as little as a few hours), require limited nutrients, and can actually deliver 2,000 to 5,000 gallons of fuel per acre of non-arable land.”
One of the best things about algae-derived fuel is that it doesn’t compete with critical food stocks, as does corn.
This stuff just could be the salvation of the airline industry as we’ve known it. That’s the gist of conversations this writer has had with experts in the field. Certainly Boeing seems bullish. Conference co-chair Billy Glover says the aircraft manufacturer: “recognizes that algae biomass holds tremendous potential for use as a jet fuel, and it fits into our plan to guide aviation toward commercially viable and sustainable fuel sources – fuels with substantially smaller greenhouse gas footprints that do not compete with food or require unacceptable quantities of land and fresh water resources.”
Don’t look for algae-derived fuels to power your next flight. There’s a lot of work to be done, especially in taking what appears to be a very sound concept and converting it into a mass-produced, commercially profitable enterprise.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler