Spanish firm claims it can make oil from plankton

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MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish company claimed on Thursday to have developed a method of breeding plankton and turning the marine plants into oil, providing a potentially inexhaustible source of clean fuel.

Vehicle tests are some time away because the company, Bio Fuel Systems, has not yet tried refining the dark green coloured crude oil phytoplankton turn into, a spokesman said.

Bio Fuel Systems is a wholly Spanish firm, formed this year in eastern Spain after three years of research by scientists and engineers connected with the University of Alicante.

"Bio Fuel Systems has developed a process that converts energy, based on three elements: solar energy, photosynthesis and an electromagnetic field," it said in a press dossier.

"That process allows us to obtain biopetroleum, equivalent to that of fossil origin."

Phytoplankton, like other plants, absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. Scientists have examined the possibility of stimulating growth of the single cell plants as a means of reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

CO2, liberated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, is widely held responsible for global warming.

Bio Fuel Systems said its new fuel would reduce CO2, was free of other contaminants like sulphur dioxide and would be cheaper than fossil oil is now.

"Our system of bioconversion is about 400 times more productive than any other plant-based system producing oil or ethanol," it said, referring to currently available biofuels made from plants like maize or oilseeds.

Bio Fuel Systems is working with scientists at the University of Alicante on the project. It has drawn up industrial plans to make the fuel and says it will be able to start continuous production in 14 to 18 months.

Source

Interesting stuff. Could an answer to the worlds looming energy crisis lie within some of the smallest plant structures on Earth? Then again, could be just another pipe dream until they have some viable demonstrations and vehicle tests.
 
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Necessity is the mother of invention :) As with any other invention through the ages, if something is necessary to continue or solve a proble, invention (and the capability of the human race) will solve problems :)
 
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spike's said:
tbh i'm not holding my breath till i see it being used in an actual engine. but if it does work, then well done.

But hopefully, it won't just be used for creation of petrol/diesel. It might be viable in replacing say fuel in power stations etc. if they are able to create enough.
 
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Abraham said:
?
it doesnt claim to be
it claims to be cleaner, and have less impurities

potentially inexhaustible source of clean fuel.

Sulphur impurities are controllable using FGDs and converters. Less C02 probably means that you get less energy out of it per volume compared to petroleum hydrocarbons.
 
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ive heard this all before... all the talk about 20,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre of algae production ... OK .. ill believe it when i actually see a finished and usable product ...
 
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Sounds similar to when scientists discovered plankton and small bacteria that could produce hydrogen gas as a by product of its photsynthesis. This will be killed off as being ineffective by some big companies sad but true.
 
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Rosbif said:
ive heard this all before... all the talk about 20,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre of algae production ... OK .. ill believe it when i actually see a finished and usable product ...

yes, oil from algae is a pretty old concept - so we will have to see if this is any better than any of the previous attempts to do this.

it is interesting but i can't see it being able to compete with more traditional oil sources, including heavy oil, of which there is a huge amount lying around (mostly in canada and venesula - the future oil powers :p )
 
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