Although, hydrogen is a gas, the quantity of hydrogen in atmosphere is very less. We all know great quantities of hydrogen are required for commercial purposes like hydrogenation of fats and oil, for rocket fuel, welding, reducing metallic ores etc. Hydrogen is pollution free and can replace gasoline, natural gas etc. And currently scientists of Lunchbox Laboratory are using algae to produce hydrogen.
The Lunchbox Laboratory is a collaboration between artist group Futurefarmers + the Biological Sciences Team, National Renewable Energy Lab. This lab’s scientists have already discovered that it is a viable renewable energy form, in that, algae is everywhere and it could also be used to produce biodiesel. The main problem for the research is to find the most productive strains of algae. As there are potentially millions of strains, this task is gigantic.
This laboratory is a prototype for a potentially distributed research tool that would be sent to schools so that young scientists could do primary screening of a collection of algae strains. This would serve as a preliminary screening such that non-productive strains would be ruled out and only productive strains would reach labs.
Via: Core 77
”The main problem for the research is to find the most productive strains of algae. As there are potentially millions of strains, this task is gigantic.” No, the main problem is that these researchers haven’t examined the problem from and economic perspective. If they had they would understand that its not algae species or their lipid production ability that keeps algae oil from being economically feasible - its the costs of harvest, extraction, separation, filtration, and stabilization of the oil product for storage that have - and apparently still prevent algae oil from being used as a commercial energy source.
Duggerdm,
If you read the article, or even looked at the pictures, which include a glaring H2 on the side of one of the flasks, you might have realized that we are screening algae for optimal H2 producers, not algae oil.
Also, the contraction of ”it is” is ”it’s” not ”its”. As professional scientists and artists we paid close attention to details you can’t even dream about. You may want to be a little more conscientious about your own work, even if it’s only a petty and rather negative comment on a blog.
Jonathan,
You’re right, that’s really a great ”H2” and a beautiful flask you have there. I did read article and the first hydrogen paragraph, but then the next paragraph said - ”This lab’s scientists have already discovered that it is a viable renewable energy form, in that, algae is everywhere and it could also be >>>used to produce biodiesel.
