The idea of harnessing algae for fuel has been around for decades, they say. Still, no one has been able to make it financially feasible.
SHOOT: You may be surprised to learn that as much as 70% of oxygen produced on Earth is produced not by forest, but by algae. I'm not sure if algae will work effectively as an energy source to fuel cars, but as a weapon against climate change, against accumulating CO2, certainly.
MIAMI (AFP) –
Driven by fluctuations in oil prices, and seduced by the prospect of easing climate change, experts are ramping up efforts to squeeze fuel out of a promising new organism: pond scum.
As it turns out, algae -- slimy, fast-growing and full of fat -- is gaining ground as a potential renewable energy source.
Experts say it is intriguing for its ability to gobble up carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, while living happily in places that aren't needed for food crops.
Algae likes mosquito-infested swamps, for example, filthy pools, and even waste water. And while no one has found a way to mass produce cheap fuel from algae yet, the race is on.
"I think it's very realistic. I don't think it's going to take 20 years. It's going to take a few years," said chemical engineer George Philippidis, director of applied research at Florida International University in Miami.
Experts don't see algal fuel replacing fossil fuels completely, and some have become leery of hype.
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