It is more fun criticizing
Rizal Philippines July 1, 2014
Repost from the Guardian - fuel from Seaweeds
The article was published exactly one year ago July 1, 2013. The article talks about the possibility getting biofuels - ethanol and methane from sea weeds like kelp. Sea weeds do not compete with crops that are used for food.
The raising and harvesting of seaweeds though is by hand and labor intensive.
However, the ROI is very high using the right microbes. A bacterium can convert 1 kg of ethanol from 3kg of dried seaweeds.
There are other potential barriers, including the fact that most common microbes do not ferment the special sugars in seaweed very well. But in 2012, a Californian firm produced genetically modified bacterium that can produce about 1kg of ethanol from 3kg of dried seaweed. Other research in the area involves harvesting bacteria from the droppings of the sheep on the Scottish island of North Ronaldsay, which thrive on an almost exclusive diet of seaweed.
The US navy is investing in the technology while Exxon has poured $600 million into the proejct.
