Running head: GASOLINE TO POND WATER 1

Gasoline to Pond Water:

The Fuel of the Future
Emma L. Noble
Salt Lake Community College
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Abstract

Algae is a sustainable, reusable biofuel. It produces more oil than corn and soybeans,

making it perfect for a renewable energy source. It does have a carbon dioxide output, but it

reuses the carbon dioxide in its photosynthesis process so there is no excess output. The only

downside to this fuel currently is the fact that it would cost over seven dollars a gallon to

purchase. Not only can people use these microorganisms to put fuel in their cars, but they can

also make fuel for jets, and use the chemicals they produce to put into food products. When

considering what the fuel of the future is, the answer is algal biofuels.
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Gasoline to Pond Water:

The Biofuel of the Future

The fossil fuels that the world is using will eventually run out. Not only does the world

need to find a fuel source that cuts back on carbon dioxide emissions, but they also need to find a

source that is reusable. In order for seven and a half billion people to live on the earth and thrive,

there needs to be a source of food and a source of energy. The worlds population is expected to

reach 8 billion by 2024 (Upton, 2017). With the rate that the world is growing and using

petroleum, it wont be here much longer. Prices of gasoline will consistently rise until the

economy demands to find a new fuel source. One biofuel that seems to have the most

breakthroughs is algal biofuel. As the name states this is a biofuel made from algae. These

eukaryotic cells produce their food by photosynthesis, this provides them with carbohydrates,

proteins, and a large amount of lipids/fats. In order to make fuel the fats are extracted from the

cell, and that oil is made into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

Theyve compared this fuel to other biofuels such as ethanol from corn, and soybean oils.

In order to grow corn and soybeans farmers need soil that is rich in nitrogen and properly

fertilized. Algae is much easier and more efficient to grow. Algae farmers need less land, water,

and nutrients to produce more oil (Burkart, 2016). The process surrounding the manufacture of

this oil has been refined, such as the harvesting, oil extraction, and the conversion of oil to fuel.

This fuel could be sold and used in cars right now, the only downside currently is that it is more

expensive than regular petroleum based gasoline. The world will have to wait until economic

needs reach a point where this product becomes less expensive than traditional gasoline. The

issue that the scientific circle is dealing with is that algae is in the beginning stages of
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domestication. Think about the size of corn when farmers first started growing it, and compare it

to the size today. That domestication took hundreds of years (The evolution of maize photo). So

what scientists are trying to do now is look at genome codes and genetically alter algae so that

they dont need to wait for decades to get the high producing algae they need for biofuel

production.

Microalgae Characteristics

Microalgae is an organism that carries out photosynthesis. What it needs to complete this

cycle is light and carbon dioxide. It needs a few other things such as nitrogen and phosphorus,

but it only needs these elements in small quantities. The algae that currently being studied for

biofuels grows in water. The water they grow this alga in can be treated sewage water, which

makes for a cheaper farming. An issue with farming algae is the high diversity of the organism.
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In one farm there can multiple species of algae. It is a difficult organism to isolate. No matter

what farmers do they will still have a few other species in their farm, besides the one they are

farming.

The reason scientists have been looking into algae as biofuel is because of their high lipid

content and production. Petroleum found in the earths crust is formed by the decaying of

organisms. For petroleum to form naturally it takes millions of years for the dead organisms to

reach the depth in the earths crust where the temperature is hot enough. This process pales in

comparison to producing gasoline from algae, which only takes about a week (Almad, 2016).

How they make this fuel is by pulling the lipids from the algae, then take that oil and produce

gasoline out of it. This process does not kill the algae so they can be harvested from multiple

times. Their harvest has a much quicker turn around compared to corn and other oils (Table 1).

An alga can be harvested from about every ten days, whereas crop plants can only be reaped

once or twice a year (Almad, 2016).

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Petroleum has a high carbon content, so when it is burned it sends out excess carbon

dioxide into the atmosphere, which is the main contributor to global warming. The difference in

algae is that it wont add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. It still has an output of carbon

dioxide, but algae also use carbon dioxide for the photosynthetic process. So using algae would

put the carbon dioxide output at nothing, as compared to petroleum which gives an excess of

carbon dioxide in the air.

Understanding Algal Genetics

In order for algae to create a yield to compete with petroleum gasoline it needs to be

domesticated. The only issue is that scientists want to speed up the domestication process, and

the only way to do that is by genetic engineering. By using this method, instead of traditional

selection, scientists cut back the domestication process tremendously. An experiment was

conducted to determine what nutrient could contribute to a higher lipid yielding alga. First they

decided to compare the use of nitrogen, phosphorus, and nutrients in the cell to see what

concentrations they could use to increase the lipid yield of the algal cell. They found, that a

lower concentration of phosphorus in combination with an optimum lower concentration of

nitrogen can be used efficiently in a medium at large scale, thereby increasing biomass

productivity with improved nutrient usage (Dhawan, 2017). A lab in New Mexico has set up a

screening system to find the most resilient, and high producing algae. They have been following

a five tier system. The first two tiers seem to kill off the algae that dont handle environmental

variations well. Tier three and four test the algae based on their growth rates and oil output.

Finally, tier five will test these algae in different lighting conditions. These scientists believe that

this will be the fastest way to determine the species of algae that should be grown and harvested

for biofuel production (Nash, 2017). Their findings will be published as soon as they come to
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conclusions. They will be made public, and hopefully after their results are posted more

companies will start investing and considering the positive effects of algal biofuels.

Risks of Genetic Engineering

In order for algal biofuel to be able to compete with petroleum based gasoline, their needs

to be some genetic engineering. Algae needs to be domesticated faster than corn in order for it to

work to scientists advantage. The issues with harnessing the energy of algae is that the public

believes that genetic engineering could harm the human population and the environment. The

first public issue is resolved by not using this genetically engineered algae in any sort of food

production. The environmental issue is that the algae would have a loss of diversity. The belief is

that a super alga would be created and it would dominant the wild populations. A study was

conducted and an altered strain of algae was introduced to invade experimental algal ecosystems,

its impact on the productivity, species diversity, and composition of invaded native

communities was indistinguishable from that of the wild-type strain (Almad, 2016). This means

that the engineered alga had no impact on the ecology of the system. With those fears disproved

there should be more public support for this movement. This is the only way to get this fuel on

the market at a price that could compete with petroleum based gasoline. Scientist need this alga

now, and the only why they are going to get it is through genetic engineering. The risks and

benefits just need to be clearly communicated to the population.

Conclusion

Algae based biofuels should be a major option when it comes to green solutions in the

scientific community. The world needs a stable energy source for the large population to

function. Everyone in the community should look and research different forms of travel. Cars are

expensive so some of the community might take the train, or use ride shares. But if a consumer
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has the money to purchase a car, then they should take a closer look into what they are buying.

Also look into this gasoline alternative, because transport and travel should be healthy and for

the user and the environment. Algal biofuel is the fuel that society will be using in the future.
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References

Ahmad, I. (2016). Microalgae as a Renewable Energy Source for Biofuel Production. Journal of

Pure and Applied Microbiology, 10(1). 95-102.

Burkart, M., Mayfield, S., Shurin, J., Smith, V. (2016). Recent Progress and Future Challenges in

Algal Biofuel Production. Retrieved October 26, 2017, from

https://f1000research.com/articles/5-2434/v1

Dhawan, V., Dhup, S., Kannan, D. (2017). Growth, lipid productivity and cellular mechaisme of

lipid accumulation in microalgae Monoraphidium sp. Following different phosphorous

concentrations for biofuel production. Current Science, 112(3). 539-548.

Nash, M. (2017). Sequim Lab Looks to Find the Best Biofuel in Algae. Peninsula Daily News.

Retrieved from http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/sequim-lab-looks-to-find-the-

best-biofuel-in-algae/

Upton, L. (2016, January 19). Retrieved from

https://www.biobasedworldnews.com/documentary-video-panning-for-green-gold-

developing-the-algal-bio-economy