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A cure for oil addiction
Turning algae, sewage, manure, trash, and garbage into ethanol and biofuel can cut off dependency to oil.
High oil prices and the environmental concern have created a strong interest in biofuels. One of the most promising alternatives for oil is algae. There are many positive characteristics in algae fuel: it doesn’t affect freshwater resources as it can be produced in ocean or in wastewater, and it is relatively harmless to the environment.
It is possible to make ethanol, biogas, and biodiesel out from algae, and producing algae fuels could become commercially possible within the next several years (in mid 2010's). Algae ponds are still higher in costs than oil or corn crops producing biodiesel but the ponds require only a fragment of the land area. While oil and corn biofuel production can create tropical deforestation and food shortages in developing countries, biodiesel from algae paints a viable future in front of our eyes.
Algae fuels would also lessen the global warming. The plant absorbs carbon dioxide while growing so it is environmentally sustainable even if the burning process releases carbon dioxide. Algae ponds can also use the waste caused by agriculture. These ponds don’t require high technology which makes algae especially suitable for developing countries. This is highly important as developing countries will increase their CO² emissions the most in the global scale within the next two decades.
Yet it is likely that algae fuels will not replace oil immediately. First the biofuel production must become cost-effective, and in the end big changes are unlikely without a common will. The algae technology is still under development, and the thousands of ponds needed to make the fuel might not be economical for another five to ten years. The timeframe is strongly dependent on the funding needed to complete the research. Algae fuels would not only make a good alternative for oil – they can also treat wastewater and clean smokestack emissions.
In the future it can be possible that our civilization could eat its own waste. Waste-to-fuel would make the economic more efficient – and not to mention, closer to the sustainable future. The first step in bringing the mankind to 2050 safely is to be liberated from oil addiction by 2020.
Bisk, T. (2009). A realistic energy strategy. The Futurist, 43(2), 19–24.
Opportunity: Environmental benefits
Threat: none
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