Your Greeness

With the problems about fuel supply these days, a lot of researchers are looking for alternative fuel source. But one fuel source option stands out: the use of algae. Although it may seem strange for most to convert algae into fuel, it is surprising that algae are a strong contender for the title World’s Next Great Fuel. This is because it has various qualities that work in its favor. For example, algae are made up of organisms can capture light energy; through this it can convert through photosynthesis into vegetable oil. In turn, this vegetable oil will be converted into biodiesel.

And if you know something about diesel engine, you are probably aware that the biodiesel can be used to power just any sort of diesel engine. Currently, there are around 13 million diesel-powered engines in the United States alone and it is expected to increase over the next decade.

Algae also have other advantages compared to other oil-producing plants such as soybeans and canola. Because it can grow in an enclosed place, it can multiply rapidly and it requires minimal input for it to flourish. It just needs a little sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water for it to thrive.

New radiocarbon analysis suggests that biodiesel blending may be inaccurate. Researches from the Woods Hold Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have found that some blends from small-scale retailers may not actually contain the actual amount of advertised biofuel.

Chris Reddy, a marine chemist together with his colleagues, sampled different pure and blended biodiesel from more than a dozen distributors throughout the country. When hey tested fuels that are advertised as B20, they discovered that the actual percentage actually only ranged from 10% to 74%. Only around 10% of the tested samples met the specifications being used by the US Department of Defense, one of the leading users of this product.

Reddy and his colleagues worked together with a senior scientist from the WHOI, Bill Jenkins, to come up with an accurate radiocarbon-based calibration that can determine of the balance between petroleum and biofuel is correct. This particular method relies of the fact that biofuels are enriched with radioisotopes that comes from plants while petroleum contains no radiocarbon.

The discrepancy between the advertised amount and the actual amount may be partly due to the fact that biodiesels that are made by the local distributors are formed through “splash blending” wherein all the ingredients are poured together in a single container with the respective amounts. They assume that the simple act of pouring all these will ensure proper mixing. But because biodiesel are thicker than the petroleum based diesel, it may settle into multiple layers within the tank.

Another factor that may contribute to this inaccuracy is human error. These include inaccurate measurement, poor math, and insufficient stirring. Currently, the United States already has a voluntary standard practice in place but there is no enforcement. The 2004-2005 study of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggested that national-scale manufacturers are also having a difficult time in producing biodiesel with proper blending.