ALTERNATIVE FUELS

• Alternative fuels, also known as non-conventional or

advanced fuels, are any materials or substances that can
be used as fuels, other than conventional fuels.
Conventional fuels include: fossil
fuels (petroleum (oil), coal, propane, and natural gas), and
nuclear materials such as uranium.
• Some well known alternative fuels include biodiesel, bio
alcohol(methanol, ethanol, butanol), chemically
stored electricity (batteries and fuel cells), hydrogen, non-
fossil methane, non-fossil natural gas, vegetable oil, and
other biomass sources.
 BIOFUELS
• Biofuels are also considered a renewable
source. Although renewable energy is used
mostly to generate electricity, it is often
assumed that some form of renewable energy
or at least it is used to create alternative fuels.
 ETHANOL
• Ethanol fuel is an alternative fuel to gasoline.
Typically, ethanol fuel is made either from a grain
such as corn or maize or from sugarcane. In the
US, corn is primarily used to make ethanol fuel,
while in other generally warmer locations,
sugarcane is the preferred source of biomaterial
for making ethanol fuel. It is also possible to distil
ethanol fuel from petroleum oil, though mention
of ethanol fuel usually refers to bio-ethanol.
THE DISCOVERY OF GREEN GOLD
•  Alga (or its plural, algae) may be the miracle
element in the search for a more environmentally-
friendly, mass-produced product that can be
converted into fuel. Algae grow naturally all over the
world. Under optimal conditions, it can be grown in
massive, almost limitless, amounts. Half of algae's
composition, by weight, is lipid oil. Scientists have
been studying this oil for decades to convert it into
algae biodiesel - a fuel that burns cleaner and more
efficiently than petroleum.
 What is Algae?
•  More than 100,000 different species of plantlike
organisms belong the algae family. They come in various
forms and colors, from tiny protozoa floating in ponds to
huge bunches of seaweed inhabiting the ocean. Leafy
kelp, grassy moss and fungus growing on rocks are all
forms of algae. Algae are easy to grow and can be
manipulated to produce huge amounts without disturbing
any natural habitats or food sources. Algae are easy to
please -- all they need are water, sunlight and carbon
dioxide.  Of all the algae out there, pond scum -- algae
that sit on top of ponds -- is best suited for biodiesel.
 HOW THEY’RE PRODUCED?
• The oil press is the simplest and most popular
method. It's similar to the concept of the olive
press. It can extract pressed.
• The supercritical fluids method extracts up to
100 percent of the oil from algae.
 TRANSESTERIFICATION
• Once the oil's extracted, it's refined using fatty
acid chains in a process
called transesterification. Here, a catalyst such
as sodium hydroxide is mixed in with
an alcohol such as methanol. This creates a
biodiesel fuel combined with a glycerol. The
mixture is refined to remove the glycerol. The
final product is algae biodiesel fuel.
 WHAT MAKES THEM SO INTERESTING?
• During the biodiesel production process, algae
consume carbon dioxide. In other words,
through photosynthesis, algae pull carbon
dioxide from the air, replacing it with oxygen.
• Pressing algae creates a few more useful by-
products -- fertilizer and feedstock -- without
depleting other food sources.
• The most exciting part of algae biodiesel is the
numbers game.
• More than 100,000 gallons of algae oil per acre per
year is produced depending on:
 The type of algae being used
 The way the algae is grown
 The method of oil extraction
•  Experts estimate it will take 140 billion gallons of
algae biodiesel to replace petroleum-based
products each year. To reach this goal, algae
biodiesel companies will only need about 95 million
acres of land to build biodiesel plants, compared to
billions of acres for other biodiesel products.
 GROWING ALGAE FOR BIO-DIESEL
• The most natural method of growing algae for
biodiesel production is through open-
pond growing. Using open ponds, we can
grow algae in hot, sunny areas of the world to
get maximum production. 
• Vertical growth/closed loop production has been
developed by bio fuel companies to produce algae
faster and more efficiently than open pond growth.
With vertical growing, algae are placed in clear plastic
bags, so they can be exposed to sunlight on two sides.
The bags are stacked high and protected from the rain
by a cover. The extra sun exposure increases the
productivity rate of the algae, which in turn increases
oil production. The algae are also protected from
contamination.
ADVANTAGES
DISAVANTAGES
FUTURE PROSPECTS