Feb 25 2011
Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology have found a dual purpose of algae. Known to consume nitrates and phosphates, algae reduce the toxins and bacteria present in the water thereby cleaning waste water. The second role that algae would play in the labs of Rochester Institute is in the production of biodiesel.
The biodiesel obtained can fuel farm equipment, buses and construction vehicles while the purified wastewater can be used in treatment plants.
In comparison, algae grow faster and are cheaper to produce than corn. They grow in water, eliminating the need for vast areas of nutrient-rich soil. Along with carbon dioxide, they require sunlight to produce energy via photosynthesis, thus eliminating the additional use of fertilizers or insecticides required for corn. Therefore, the fuel produced would not only cleanse waste water but also pollute less than standard fuel.
Associate professor of biological sciences at RIT, Jeff Lodge stated that cold weather is not in favour of biodiesel fuels. Immaterial of the diesel fuel used, the engines do not work if the temperatures drop down. Jeff is of the opinion that blending different biodiesels may generate a product, which flows easily. In the laboratory, they have extracted and isolated lipids to generate a small measure of a golden-colored biodiesel. The single-cell alga strain Scenedesmus is being grown in Irondequoit, New York.
Currently, the algae production stands at 100 gallons in a 4X7 feet long tank at Environmental Energy Technologies, RIT. In the forthcoming months, the researchers plan to build a movable greenhouse. Housed at the Irondequoit wastewater treatment plant, production will be scaled up to about 1,000 gallons of wastewater. The lipids from the algae will be purified and converted into biodiesel by Northern Biodiesel, Wayne County.
Source: http://www.rit.edu