bio fuels info
alternate to hemp...and many others - but shows bio fuels are becoming real part of energy infrastructure
'....Miller and his team at Western Michigan University envision a solution to problematic algal blooms, which can benefit small-scale farmers. Already, algae are gradually but increasingly being used as a feedstock for different classes of biofuels, including ethanol. It grows very quickly—some two to eight times faster than similar land-based ethanol feedstocks, such as corn, soybeans or cellulosic biomass—which is an advantage. Large-scale, centralized "algal turf scrubber" operations in Florida and elsewhere are getting underway and are growing natural communities of periphytic or attached algae for biofuel production. Miller is building on this approach but will downsize it to water bodies near small farms throughout the U.S.
"For small farm applications, the system must be easy to operate, nearly automatic and be suitable for diffuse installations," he says. "So, my focus has been to apply this technology without requiring the large infrastructure of the electric grid, large pumping installations and all the rest that is needed for centralized operations. A farmer won't have time to check an algae collection and processing system, so it has to also be able to operate remotely."
Miller points out that the algae can be used for biofuel feedstock, making a profit for the farmers. And the waste left over after the biofuel's fermentation and distillation steps is high in nutrients and carbohydrates, which is a material that can be recycled back to farm fields for use as an organic fertilizer.
It may take a while to get the system up and running at farms, but Miller says that there is a powerful economic incentive for farmers to sign on. That's because it has the potential to shift problematic algae into biofuels, taking a farm-based ecological problem and turning it into a revenue stream for small-scale farmers, he says.'
