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Is Alage the Fuel of the Future?

Posted by: biologyblog | December 6, 2008 | 3 Comments |



by Amanda M

Recently, Bill Gates has begun to invest in algae based fuels. This a new alternative fuel source for transportation in our everyday lives. Algae fuels are based on the same concept that surrounds the use of corn and soy as fuel products. The benefit of algae fuels is that algae grows more rapidly then corn or soy. Therefore, it allows for a more rapid production of fuel. The only down side to this is that the cost per gallon of algae based fuels is still much higher than that of petroleum based fuels.

My hope is that with Bill Gates’ investment in this new and upcoming technology they will be able to develop a system of refinement that can make the cost comparable to that of modern oil refinery. If this could be implemented, even a little, then it could greatly reduce or dependence upon foreign oil. This would allow the United States to take a big step forward in obtaining energy independence.

under: Alternative Fuels, Environmental Biology, Green Engineering, Student Post
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This is a really interesting article and it’s nice to see Bill Gates investing his money in something like this. If this works it will be extremely beneficial to the economy, which is something greatly needed right now. I hope further research is done in this area.

this is a really interesting article. i think this would be extremely benefical and agree that it could cut our dependency on foreign oil, which would be even bettter for us. the down side is how much more it would cost compared to oil now. if bill gates and those developing this could find a way to have it be more cost effective it would be even better. i hope one day this will be available in order to help cut costs and dependencies.

that would most defenetly be benificial if it actually works. it’s a natural element so it wil not polute the air and yeah we got a whole ton of it. i wonder if the process of converting it into fuel is easier and more enviormentaly friendly. i wonder if other vegitation such as moss can do the same thing because it would be very convienient. with everyone trying to find an alternative for fuel why don’t we just start riding bikes. everyone would be excersising everyday and they might feel better about themselves. i understand that there are those who can’t exactly ride a bike in a skirt to work which is about an hour away but maybe they can use a small vehicle that does not use so much fuel. if chinese people can ride bikes to work everyday no matter the occasion then why can’t we achieve the same? maybe it will take a while to adjust but the outcome might be the diffrence between a healthy planet that can hold out for a while longer or a planet whose bright flame of life and beuty faded and died almost just as quickly as it lit. i think that Bill Gates has made a very fine choice indeed in suporting this reasherch.

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