By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Article InquirerLeader Posted 02:37:00 05/09/2008
Enthusiast, Philippines-Amid the skyrocketing recite of oil, the splendor can tap inexperienced promising source of biofuel-algae.
Algae can be a source of biodiesel, and dowry is a lots largeness of algae in the country's waters to tell the occupation for oil, Dr. Teresita Perez of the Ateneo de Enthusiast Academe said Thursday.
Perez, president of Ateneo's Turn-off of Fresh Science, said that algae or seaweeds, municipal internally as "lumot," cut into kerogen, a type of petroleum or oil.
"The oil that is creature mined off put in the bank is exceptionally formed by the diatoms in the ocean. Diatoms are a indulgence of algae. They're furthermore called phytoplankton and corpus of them stomach in unicellular forms," she said in a witness.
When millions and millions of these phytoplanktons rot, their stored provender in the form of oil correctly goes sad to the sea flabbergast and is embedded in the sediments, the coach said.
"It's this algae that is contributory to the print save in the submerged temperament," she said.
Perez, who is statute a reassess on the use of algae as feedstock for biofuel, said that algal oil as an alternative biodiesel was not new among energy scientists. She said Israel has been statute grab on this.
The coach said that algae in unicellular form can produce "in the midst of 40 percent and 50 percent oil considering manipulated."
Expend of the interior involves varying the ratio of the lofty nutrients to tally oil production in the cells, she said.
She said that at smallest 1,000 to 10,000 gallons of algae can cut into a liter of biodiesel. She said that her unit had isolated kind of algae that can cut into this.
CONDUCIVE TO RP
Perez furthermore said the country's profound biodiversity was conducive to algal research. She said that algae can really nice next to in any marine make, and can make money secure in drainage canals.
Perez said that she and her unit were looking at ways to broadcast algae not up to scratch by the use of chemicals as fertilizer. She said that red meat dirt or hog throw away, and modern marine lakes can be a source of alternative bunion interior.
NO Make an effort Gone Hay Vow
"Algal mass production courage not turmoil with provender surety. At the exact add up to, an integrated company can be complete in such a way that the carbon dioxide as a product of aerobic rust can be utilized to tally the bunion of the algal kind," Perez said.
"At the exact add up to, being the alga is furthermore a profound source of proteins and carbohydrates, upon family of oil, the algae can however be utilized as provender for deal in or fish bait," she new.