The Algae Attraction - Regarding article that states "Clean coal is an imperative. Some breakthrough technologies to achieve that goal now exist while others are years away. One such concept is to use waste carbon emissions from power plants to grow algae, which is subsequently converted to energy and because those releases would re-cycled, carbon dioxide emissions would be cut in half. "
Step back and look at algae to capture CO2 emissions. There are 4 logic problems:
1. It will not be 100% effective; some percentage of the CO2 will not be captured, so we are looking at the potential to reduce, but not stop CO2 emissions from coal.
2. This is not sequestration, it is recycling. When the algae is burned, whether in a power plant or in an organism, it will again release its CO2. That delays the release of CO2, but we will end up with just as much CO2 in the atmosphere eventually, UNLESS the amount of coal being mined and burned is cut in half, and I don't think that is the intent of the R&D sponsors.
3. Parasitic loads for pumps and blowers, plus the capital and maintenance costs of the algae farm, plus makeup water for the huge evaporative losses, plus fertilizer for the algae, will further burden the economics and the power output.
4. Algae converts CO2 to plant sugars and cellulose by photosynthesis. Exposing all the algae to that much sunlight will require a very large land area. Photosynthesis efficiency is about 12%. The plant efficiency would be around 40%. Combined efficiency would be 4.8%. Solar PV efficiency is nominally 16%. So converting the same land area to solar PV would produce roughly 3 times as much electricity. New thin-film solar collectors now being produced at prices competitive with coal-fired generation
These 4 logic problems combine to show that the algae scheme will produce LESS electricity, MORE CO2, and lower return on investment. Think outside the box, but put the algae scheme back in the box and bury it.
Take the natural route, you can have algae farms or trees any where, they will absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. CO2 is fungible - hence there is no necessity to capture the same CO2 that has been emitted. It is the net balance in the atmosphere that is of essence. And it will not be competeing for man made energy. It will sustain purely on natural energy. The energy that has sustained us for so long, and will continue to.
Fossil Fuels are nothing but solar energy trapped long long time ago, and metamorphised under geological conditions.
The critical aspect is that it has to be done in a sustainable manner. The farms have to be protected and enlarged, if coal is to be used continuously.
But we can do this with algae!Algae of certain types are edibile and are eaten.
With food shortages around it will be excellent source of food supplenments. Do people know that certain algae are part of Ayurveda- the Indian system of medicine.I can keep giving examples but the crux is there are hundreads of ponds already where it can be grown .I believe some good biologist can tell the benefits of algae. Do not burn it - grow right type of algae.