It used to take a million years to convert algae to oil, but scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), say they have developed a process to do the job in minutes.

In the PNNL process, a slurry of wet algae with the consistency of pea soup is pumped into the front end of a chemical reactor. Once the system is up and running, out comes crude oil in less than an hour, along with water and a byproduct stream of material containing phosphorus that can be recycled to grow more algae.

While algae has long been considered a potential source of biofuel, and several companies have produced algae-based fuels on a research scale, the fuel is projected to be expensive. The PNNL technology harnesses algae's energy potential efficiently and incorporates a number of methods to reduce the cost of producing algae fuel.

"Cost is the big roadblock for algae-based fuel," said Douglas Elliott, the laboratory fellow who led the PNNL team's research. "We believe that the process we've created will help make algae biofuels much more economical."

The most important cost-saving step is that the process works with wet algae. Most current processes require the algae to be dried — a process that takes a lot of energy and is expensive. The new process works with an algae slurry that contains as much as 80 to 90 percent water.

"Not having to dry the algae is a big win in this process; that cuts the cost a great deal," said Elliott. "Then there are bonuses, like being able to extract usable gas from the water and then recycle the remaining water and nutrients to help grow more algae, which further reduces costs."

Other processes for converting algae to oil exist, but according to PNNL, their process can continuously convert 1.5 liters of slurry into biofuel per hour.

They say additionally their process eliminates the need for complex solvents like hexane.

Instead, the PNNL team works with the whole algae, subjecting it to very hot water under high pressure to tear apart the substance, converting most of the biomass into liquid and gas fuels.

The PNNL method requires a lot of heat and a lot of pressure, which together causes what is called hydrothermal liquefaction and catalytic hydrothermal gasification. While not cheap to build, Elliott says the savings “on the back end more than makes up for the investment.”

"It's a bit like using a pressure cooker, only the pressures and temperatures we use are much higher," he said. "In a sense, we are duplicating the process in the Earth that converted algae into oil over the course of millions of years. We're just doing it much, much faster."

A biofuels company, Utah-based Genifuel Corp., has licensed the technology and is working with an industrial partner to build a pilot plant using the technology. The company has been working with Elliott since 2008.

The research results were reported in the journal Algal Research.

http://www.voanews.com/content/algae-to-crude-oil-in-under-an-hour/1813202.html

Here's a short video about the process:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs0QZJ0rea0&feature=player_embedded

Hhhmm science. It's cool we look fort to see more improvements . While dis is going on I guess I should be thinking of establishing an algae farm ooo.

If this works out.It means the price of crude in the international market will fall

With this invention, natural crude oil prices would fall drastically...

Thanks Science!

PS: mods, this is front page material!

"It used to take a million years to convert
algae to oil..."

Yeah right!

Dear lord pls make this happen ASAP,

Then we go see where our politicians go dey see money dey loot.

the thing full our fence... make them come scoop am, give us money.. lol

That is sooo cool! Like they said, e go dear o!

Let me book a space first..........anyway nice improvement

Waoh, if this can be deployed in commercial/industrial quantities, then that's the end of OPEC o. And countries like Nigeria. SMH

As a white oil company contractor once told my dad,

He said one day, Nigerians are going to stick their dipstick into the ground and realise there is no oil left,
Dats wen they will start to develop other business sectors.

nigerianescorts: If this works out.It means the price of crude in the international market will fall

and you think bp, exxon, agip and the rest will just sit and watch? Think again.

blink182: and you think bp, exxon, agip and the rest will just sit and watch? Think again.

You're not familiar with the oil industry. They'll be the biggest investors in the venture. If I show you one of those companies' plans for the next 40yrs you'll be shocked.

Oil dependent Nations should immediately start seeking for alternative source of revenue because come 2-3 decades from now, fossil fuel would no longer be used as primarily used as fuel anymore.

Ah....

I was looking for a business to invest my money in, I think algae farm will do. Thanks to science

It used to take a million years?

Was that a speculation?


Anyways it won't affect nothing

Niceee

Oh I am so glad this is happening! I shout Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! At long last, the crude oil of many countries including Nigeria's are becoming less dominating and gradually being substituted. No more threat of resource control or hell fire from some parts of the world over others,No more subsidy scam, no more kerosene albatross, no more illegal refinery(as there is no need for such) as every willing man will be able to properly distill all the fractions of this mixture in a simple DIY means. I foresee, little revenue for the countries whose economies are run by Crude OIL, therefore very little to steal and loot... Eureka!! (Let me start getting ready to assemble my mini plant)

This is good stuff,but then it would take a while to get this technology to my country;Nigeria..

No more monopoly.

Nawa oo anyways if you have anything against me, its only 6days to 2014. Pls, lets settle it once and for all today... meet me at TESLIM BALOGUN STADIUM with your boxing gloves... happy boxing day! .

#BIGWIG

Not the algae I know

.

Story Story... Most of these innovations dies at the grassroot let's watch and see how far this would go..