Algae seen as fossil fuel replacement
Algae is one of the many green alternatives for creating biofuel.
ExxonMobil, an oil company based in Texas, USA, has been reported to be investing in a number of possible green alternatives to replace fossil fuels in the future.
According to a Popular Science article, one of the company’s investments is focused on cultivating algae to produce biofuel for cars, trucks, navy vessels, and aircraft. This provides a low-carbon emission alternative to conventional fuels.
However, the benefits of using algae as a fuel source don’t end there. Once the algae has been squeezed of its necessary oils, the byproduct can be used as livestock feed, thanks to its high protein and carbohydrate contents.
While current techniques of growing and processing are still inadequate to promote widespread cultivation of algae, it has been predicted that existing research will soon make biofuel production cheap enough for the product to compete better with conventional fuels. Alfred Bayle
