INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE

Readers of my column on the American Chronicle syndicate of web sites already know that we at DaoChi Energy of Arizona are especially enthused about biodiesel from municipal sewage sludge (and the dried form known as "biosolids") as well as agricultural animal wastes (manure). But there is also another very exciting and, apparently, highly efficient way of producing biodiesel. It is the use of a plant type that is not widely used, and almost never "culivated" (that is, it is considered a nuisance and a "weed" in most places). The plant species is generally known as "algae".

Some varieties of algae grow at incredible rates. Statistics we have seen show algae growing so fast that it doubles in weight every 3 days. Another report, contained in the video below, says that at least some form(s)(?) of algae double in volumne every 4 hours. That growth rate alone makes it vastly superior to any other (known) source of biomass from plants.

Algae, at least certain varieties of it, have another advantage, they are high in natural vegetable oil content. Some reports place productivity at about 5000 gallons of biodiesel per acre per year. Some estimates are even higher. That is ridiculously more than the 100 gallons per acre from conventional agricultural crops. This video claims even higher rate of production. It estimates that if we devoted just 5% of our agricultural production we could produce enough biodiesel to completely eliminate all petroleum imports used for diesel.

The company in the video, Green Star Products, Inc. (GSPI) has a lot of "partners" in various projects. Other news reports that although they are building their first biodiesel plant outside of North American in South Africa, that they have signed a deal to supply 90 of them to that country.