Blue and green algae are real energy wonders. They're microscopic, but they've got what it takes to be tall. With the aid of sunlight, water, and dissolved carbon dioxide, unicellular organisms turned the earth's toxic air into an oxygen-rich atmosphere billions of years ago, as the inventors of photosynthesis. They were laying the groundwork for the evolution of animal life in this way. People are now pursuing a second career as an environmentally friendly kerosene, oil, and diesel supplier.
According to Otto Pulz, a professor of phototrophic (light energy) biotechnology, "there are at least 300,000 forms of microalgae that contain oil in nature." The scientist has been studying how to better induce small green cells to supply the coveted biofuel since the 1980s at the Institute for Grain Processing (IGV) near Potsdam.
According to Pulz, the benefits are obvious: “Microalgae absorb just as much carbon dioxide as the fuel emitted when it is burned.” Furthermore, no productive arable land is lost as a result of their cultivation. This not only makes algae fuel environmentally friendly, but it also ensures that food production is not harmed.
Oil is generated in a variety of ways by single-celled organisms. Within the membrane, blue-green algae deposit tiny oil droplets. They act as an energy reservoir in the event of adversity. Oil is a component of the cell membrane in many unicellular green algae. The cells can be used to remove this raw material.
Microalgae outperform higher plants in terms of photosynthesis. Since unicellular organisms have a lot of chlorophyll, they can focus solely on capturing light and converting it to biomass. They are five times more effective than land plants at doing so.
Since microalgae can be grown in extremely high densities, the benefit is even greater if the conversion is based on yield per hectare. When compared to rapeseed, one of the most significant sources of traditional biofuels, the freshwater green alga Chlorella vulgaris produces more than 50 times the yield while taking up a fraction of the volume. The researchers, on the other hand, must assist in this.
Photosynthesis is the most critical modification screw. Pulz grows the Chlorella algae in a bioreactor with a unique geometry that prevents the cells in a multi-twisted tube system from shading themselves.
That only accounts for 1% of the 200 million tonnes of kerosene needed by air traffic each year. If all aviation fuel were to be produced from algae oil, massive algae farms would be needed, which, according to current technology, would cover an area the size of Portugal.
The bacteria aren't yet consistently producing the desired raw material. That is why scientists are attempting to smooth out the ups and downs in development, which are also influenced by the day-night rhythm's light-dark alternation. After all, high-performance bacteria should be able to grow in large quantities and with consistent consistency in the future.
For many years, a lot of companies have operated an ethanol production test facility in the Texas town of Leander. For the first time, the bacteria can deliver diesel to the place. The tiny green cells will be encased between transparent glass surfaces that resemble solar collectors. The "blue-green algae collectors" would then be deployed through vast swaths of desert.