Invest in Algae and Butanol Energy Research

Biofuels have been considered as one of the great alternatives to solving the energy problem for transportation fuels. Corn used for ethanol unfortunately competes with a staple foodstuff, and...
Related Topics:
Biofuels, Business & Economics, Efficiency, Transportation

Biofuels have been considered as one of the great alternatives to solving the energy problem for transportation fuels. Corn used for ethanol unfortunately competes with a staple foodstuff, and requires significant amounts of land area. Ethanol must also be blended with gasoline before it can be used for a transportation fuel.

Our idea seeks to change this by using algae, which grow at a very high rate and can be beneficial removing carbon dioxide from the air and unwanted nutrients from polluted waters, and converting it into butanol. Butanol has a higher energy content per gallon than ethanol, and can be used directly in gasoline engines, making it a better choice.

Through the process we are designing we hope to create a more sensible path toward green transportation fuels in the future.

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Tags:
2011 Finalist, algae, alternative fuel, biofuel, butanol, Fossil Fuels, gas, research, science, transportation

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