Solazyme produces algae diesel: identical to petrol diesel; passes ASTM D-975

[HoosierRon]

Solazyme Unveils Algal Renewable Diesel That Meets ASTM D-975 Specifications

Solazyme has unveiled a microalgae-derived renewable diesel fuel, SoladieselRD, that meets American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-975 specifications for petroleum diesel fuels. SoladieselRD is the first algal renewable diesel to meet these standards, and the second algae-derived fuel from the company.

SoladieselRD is output from a refinery, where a hydrotreatment stage deoxygenates the algal oil, resulting in a pure hydrocarbon product. The final product’s chemical composition is identical to that of standard petroleum-based diesel, and SoladieselRD is fully compatible with the existing transportation fuel infrastructure.
...
In January, Solazyme announced that it had entered into a biodiesel feedstock development and testing agreement with Chevron Technology Ventures, a division of Chevron USA to work on developing algae optimized to produce oils for use in hydrotreatment at a refinery.

[Bvonscott]

I know this will sound goofy, but what if all this algae we are making to produce fuels goes wild and covers the whole planet in green! Would it produce some new wild bacterial infections or strange animals? What of it Hoosier, have you heard anything like that in your travels through cyberspace?

Hhehee

[AMERICA 123]

Awesome.

We could use this even more than the gasoline algae - to help push diesel fuel prices down.

Both are great.

Interesting.......... Chevron sells a big battery operation and buys into this.

There is hope.

[HoosierRon]

Originally Posted by Bvonscott

I know this will sound goofy, but what if all this algae we are making to produce fuels goes wild and covers the whole planet in green! Would it produce some new wild bacterial infections or strange animals? What of it Hoosier, have you heard anything like that in your travels through cyberspace?

Hhehee

Not to worry. Algae is no more related to bacteria than you are related to a kangaroo. And algae will never cover the planet. It needs water to grow. It cannot cover dry land. I personally am not worried about any GM organism, but if I were, it would not be about lipid excreting algae.

[Dgrocho]

deoxygenates the algae. Does that mean that not only will the growing algae take in carbon dioxide and exhaust oxygen, but the actual process of creating the fuel exhausts oxygen?

As for algae covering the world, everybody wants to be green these days anyway!

[dtowndog420]

Hate ethanol today but the masses will love it tomorrow. People bash ethanol for good reason and give up on it all together because their lack of knowledge of the new production methods that use less energy, water and no feedstock to produce.

[Bvonscott]

Originally Posted by HoosierRon

Not to worry. Algae is no more related to bacteria than you are related to a kangaroo. And algae will never cover the planet. It needs water to grow. It cannot cover dry land. I personally am not worried about any GM organism, but if I were, it would not be about lipid excreting algae.

Awesome response! I'd be interested to know more about this "GM organism". Is there a small "union" that runs inside of it? If it doesn't excrete algae, what would it excrete? You are all knowing Hoosier

[smith7629]

Originally Posted by dtowndog420

Hate ethanol today but the masses will love it tomorrow. People bash ethanol for good reason and give up on it all together because their lack of knowledge of the new production methods that use less energy, water and no feedstock to produce.

My burb burns E85 everyday. It still takes me over 100 miles before I burn a single gallon of gasoline. I hope GM really starts pushing biofuel commercials.

[eaton53]

Originally Posted by Bvonscott

I know this will sound goofy, but what if all this algae we are making to produce fuels goes wild and covers the whole planet in green!

We would run out of CO2 and the world would freeze.
But don't worry, we could burn all the algae pee and put it right back...

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by eaton53

We would run out of CO2 and the world would freeze.
But don't worry, we could burn all the algae pee and put it right back...

Outstanding.

[benroethig]

Originally Posted by Bvonscott

I know this will sound goofy, but what if all this algae we are making to produce fuels goes wild and covers the whole planet in green!

I don't know where I saw it, but someone developed a vertical farm unit for algae.

[Sporer65]

I really like that algae is now being used to produce biodiesel and gas but I do have one concern. If this fuel is identical, I guess that means it burns the same way, so it has the same emissions. So while yes, it is coming from a green source and we are lessening our dependance on foreign oil, we are not reducing emissions.

But someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[HoosierRon]

Originally Posted by Sporer65

I really like that algae is now being used to produce biodiesel and gas but I do have one concern. If this fuel is identical, I guess that means it burns the same way, so it has the same emissions. So while yes, it is coming from a green source and we are lessening our dependance on foreign oil, we are not reducing emissions.

But someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Allow me to correct you. Burning petrol diesel takes hydrocarbons that have been in the earth for a long time, and releases them into the environment today. That "creates" pollution. When we use biodiesel from algae, the algae take hydrogen and carbon (in the form of CO2) from the air and create hydrocarbon chains. Thus, when we burn it, all we are doing is putting back into the air what already was there days earlier. So we only are recycling the matter, not bringing up new hydrocarbons from inside the earth.

(Disclaimer: I really don't care about any of this, but generally speaking, the foregoing analysis seems to appease followers of the Church of the Mother Earth.)

[ForcedTQ]

Originally Posted by Sporer65

I really like that algae is now being used to produce biodiesel and gas but I do have one concern. If this fuel is identical, I guess that means it burns the same way, so it has the same emissions. So while yes, it is coming from a green source and we are lessening our dependance on foreign oil, we are not reducing emissions.

But someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I believe you are correct in you assumptions that it produces the same emissions when combusted, but the benefit here is that it is more of a recycling of emissions rather than an introduction of emissions from a fossil fuel that has been buried in the ground for thousands of years.

The algae are taking in the sunlight and EXISTING atmospheric "contaminants" and using those to grow, which we will then release when combusted and the cycle starts over. This way we will not elevate the level of existing emissions stored in our atmosphere by burning fossil fuels.

[ForcedTQ]

Everyone on this board needs to take note that there is something screwy going on here. My above post was a reply to the previous question from Sporer about 15 minutes after Sporer made the post. I answered his question and checked the board to be sure that it had posted correctly. Came back 30 minutes later and still no replies after mine, nor between my post and Sporer's question. I came back about an hour later and noted that my post had moved down a notch and had been given a later posting time, and HoosierRon's post was inserted in-between our two posts using my original posting time, with an explanation very similar to mine.

I'd like to know whats going on here.