Fish Farms?: Algae to Fuel Entrepreneurs Are Moving Up the Food Chain
Today, the Wall Street Journal's Russel Gold reported that entrepreneurs are looking into massive algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico that create "dead-zones" for sea life as a potential feedstock of algae for biofuel production. The dead zones are a result of run-off of fertilizers and other agricultural waste creating nutrient rich areas for algae to grow. Eventually, the algae sinks to the ocean floor where it is consumed by bacteria that, in the consumption process, also depletes the local oxygen. The sea life in the area either dies or swims elsewhere for its oxygen supply.
Apparently, LiveFuels Inc., a Silicon Valley start-up, is taking it to the next level. Instead of focusing on harvesting the algae from these dead zones to turn into biofuel, they are experimenting with releasing into these dead zones fish that would act as "algae grazers". The algae-stuffed fish would then be processed for their oil to produce biofuel. However, the algae blooms are seasonal and move around, so Russel Gold's article suggested that mobile fish farms may be needed.
http://www.lawofrenewableenergy.com/admin/trackback/150803
