Date:         Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:42:10 -0400
Reply-To:     Mike S <mikes@FLATSURFACE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike S <mikes@FLATSURFACE.COM>
Subject:      Re: What is it with the US? (No real van content)
Comments: To: Karl Mullendore <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2007062611420940@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 11:40 AM 6/26/2007, Karl Mullendore wrote...
>That story paints a rather limited view of what's possible regarding
>biodiesel. There are many more productive 'crops' like algae for
>biodiesel.
>Yields of 1000 gallons per acre are possible.

The article I cited was critical of production efficiencies, how much
energy goes into producing the final product, and points out that
current biodiesel and ethanol production is actually wasteful of energy
(more energy is used than is produced).

Your mention of "productive" is in regard to yield per area, which is a
completely different issue. If existing biomass sources (soy, corn,
etc.) were to be used to displace mineral oil, we wouldn't have enough
farmland to drive and eat. That is the problem which algal oil solves -
you can build algae tanks in places where you can't grow traditional
crops, like a desert.

I haven't seen any articles which analyze the energy efficiency of
biodiesel from algae. Perhaps you can point to an article which shows
actual production efficiencies for algae based biodiesel?