There is another source of renewable diesel that I believe has greater commercialization potential than algae. Jatropha curcas is a non-edible shrub native to tropical America, but now found throughout tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. Jatropha is well-suited for growing in arid conditions, can grow in low moisture conditions, and may be used to reclaim marginal, desert, or degraded land. An estimated 2 billion hectares worldwide is considered to be degraded and perhaps suitable for jatropha cultivation. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Biofuel’
An introduction to jatropha curcas (part 3)
Saturday, July 4th, 2009
Challenges for algal fuels (part 2)
Monday, June 15th, 2009(Editors note: Robert Rapier continues his series looking at the potential and viability of biofuels)
The recent capitulation of algal-biodiesel pioneer GreenFuel Technologies provides an important lesson for those who believe there will be a seamless transition from fossil fuels to a greener future. There are many intriguing possibilities out there, but most of them are going to end up on the scrap heap of history as these technologies scale up from the lab. If you are familiar with the history of algal biodiesel, you may know from 1978 to 1996, the U.S. Department of Energy funded a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on the feasibility of producing renewable fuels from algae. The study examined a number of strains of algae for potential lipid production, as well as those that could grow under conditions of extreme temperature, pH, and salinity. (more…)
The different flavors of renewable diesel (part 1)
Monday, June 8th, 2009Introduction
Distillate fuel oils, a category of fuels which includes petroleum diesel and home heating oil, account for almost 30% of global petroleum consumption. As fossil fuel reserves deplete, sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based products are needed. Biologically based distillate fuel oils have a long history, as peanut oil and whale oil were used as lubricants and energy sources long before they were displaced by petroleum products. (more…)
