Oil from Plankton?

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Oil from Plankton?

Postby Sarutama » Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:51 pm

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.<br>ADVERTISEMENT<br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>"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.<br><br>"That process allows us to obtain biopetroleum, equivalent to that of fossil origin."<br><br>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.<br><br>CO2, liberated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, is widely held responsible for global warming.<br><br>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.<br><br>"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.<br><br>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. <br><br>Taken from Yahoo News<br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060720/sc_nm/energy_spain_plankton_dc;_ylt=AuTt7v5cVR.hOOUSid4yosqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-">news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060720/sc_nm/energy_spain_plankton_dc;_ylt=AuTt7v5cVR.hOOUSid4yosqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: Oil from Plankton?

Postby bvonahsen » Fri Jul 21, 2006 1:01 pm

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"Bio Fuel Systems said its new fuel would reduce CO2"</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>That is a pretty misleading statement. Since it will be burned the reduction is at best temporary.<br><br>We use a hell of a lot of oil world wide, where are they going to grow all these plankton? How can they possibly grow them is sufficent qantities to satisfy demand? And even if they can, the fact that there is such a source would only increase demand. I just can't see that this is going to be an answer. <p></p><i></i>
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Re: Oil from Plankton?

Postby DireStrike » Fri Jul 21, 2006 1:27 pm

I'd also like to know the energy efficiency of this method. How much do you get based on what you put in? <p></p><i></i>
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Re: Oil from Plankton?

Postby Ouish » Fri Jul 21, 2006 9:13 pm

I have to wonder, what is this from? A prospectus sent to potential investors? It's not that far-fetched, I suppose -- after all, whales eat plankton, and they were a source of oil -- but I've read too many similar stories to believe this plankton gasoline before I see it.<br><br>Good points by DireStrike and bvonahsen. All I can add is, if this works, growing pond scum at $100 a barrel likely won't be a problem. (Okay, pond scum is algea, but how much harder can growing plankton be? I'm picturing those skyscraper greenhouses in <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>The Space Merchants</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, where tanks of plankton caught the sun as they rode a giant conveyer belt, though that was for food.)<br><br>What worries me is the location: Eastern Spain. Wasn't that occupied by Moslems for seven or eight centuries? That would mean this plankton oil is in danger of becoming part of the Islamofascist Caliphate, justifying a preventive invasion by the Bush administration. What a shame if all the plankton refineries were bombed by accident. Or what if these refineries could theoretically be used to turn toxic red tide micro-organisms into poison? That would make them dual-use technology, capable of manufacturing WMDs, and Bush could just take them out with cruise missiles. <p></p><i></i>
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