Researchers Test Algae Biofuel in Hong Kong
Scientists in Hong Kong are testing the use of micro algae to clean water waste and produce fuel.
The technology is still too expensive to be broadly developed, but researchers are asking for the government’s support in protecting homegrown biofuel against cheaper, foreign competition.
Environmental scientist Ho Kin-Chung from the Open University of Hong Kong says the process of turning algae into energy uses the intrinsic qualities of the plant.
“Algae contains a high quantity of oil and that amount effectively extracted can be refined into very good gasoline, as well as biodiesel and that would be economically very useful,” he said.
For decades, scientists have been looking into biofuels, which use plants as an energy source, as an alternative to petroleum-based fuel.
Despite the huge potential, there is some debate about the impact certain types of biofuel have on land and water resources.
March 7th, 2014 at 10:52 pm
It would be interesting to see what the net cost of the algal bio-fuel is when taking into account that it is eliminating waste water and producing fresh water and has the potential of producing hydrogen as well. It would seem at first glance that such multifaceted benefits would be ideal for islands and heavily populated areas such as Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore and Oahu.