Thinking about getting my feet wet

[calande]

Hello,

I'm interested in getting my feet wet with this new business as I have swamps near my house and I would like to value this land. I don't know where to start. Is there a company that I can pay to install the turnkey facilities so that I just have to monitor and sell the fuel? Or is there any way to do everything myself? Everywhere on the Internet, people talk about creating biofuel out of algae but they don't tell how to do it, what equipment to purchase, where to purchase it, where to purchase algae, and to whom to sell the biofuel... What do you think I could do?
Thanks,

[greenearth]

the first thing you need to to is identify the species of algae you have
the problem with algae production is there are a lot of controls that you need to work out.
you can perform some experiments to determine the amount of oil your algae has in it
you will need a oil screw press to separate some of the oil. Algae are unicellular organisms
and are very small you will only be able to extract approx 60 to 70 % of the oil from the algae
the rest is done with solvent extraction.
since the most abundant species of algae is only 40% lipid it takes quite a bit of whole algae to produce
algae oil. the dry solids can be sold as feed to farmers
I have developed a system for algae production but am still working on funding
and technical specs. let me know if you need help.

[AlgaeMan]

The actual production of Algae is easy part. The stuff wants to grow anywere it can. The happier you make it, the more you make.

The trouble starts with harvesting. What do with pounds or tons of wet, green GOO?

You can dry it pretty cheap, under the sun, but that's slow. Cheap though.

You can then press the stuff to get Algal Oil. I can't find any local buyers for this.

You can then invest in equipment and labor and convert the Algal Oil into Biodiesel. This would be easier to sell but still I can't find any local buyers.

Its cheap to grow, but costs to harvest, costs to dry, costs to press, costs to process into Biofuel.

In the end, can you really do it for a couple bucks per gallon final cost? I don't think so... :(

[gerrelli]

Wiki now up at http://www.pioneersofenergy.org, click on BioWiki. Looking for contributors.

I'm developing a Wiki which includes my photobioreactor designs and where to obtain the materials, I had to figure this all out myself. I would suggest using your land to develop a large scale PBR system and collaborate with myself and other pioneers of energy to push Biofuels into the mainstream.

I completely agree information is scarce and I feel this inhibits the development of this vital field. As with all new technologies the low level science is where most interest lies and unforunately this requires expensive labs and human resource. However, I believe Biofuel production is now within the grasp of everyday people with the drive and vision to make a economically viable industry from Biofuels. Together we can overcome the obstacles.

In the most recent San Diego Biofuels conference, attended by industry giants, the focus was on supporting new Biofuel start-ups which is where I plan to be in 12 - 18 months.

While the white coats drill away at candidate strains and complex harvesting and refinement techniques it is everyday people like you and me that have a unique untarnished down to Earth, out of the box approach. Sometimes the simplist answer is the best one.

If your going to take this seriously you need to be willing to invest your time and some money in learning the basics and then developing your knowledge to an expert through trial and error. I believe the key is collaboration, initially through the public and then when the commercial eye brows begin to rise we can push for both government and private investment. The biggest obstacle is making Biofuels commercially viable and with rocketing crude oil prices this is now possible.

I haven't done much on my site as I've been developing my Wiki for my own use, recording material sources and learning materials. The majority of my information on the Wiki is gleaned from a book I purchased and the license allows me to use this information but no one else. Once I have a working PBR (6 months) I will re-compile my Wiki with only my own designs and knowledge and make it freely available.

[jeffsmith]

Yes.. you can sign up with companies..with a low...security deposit and they will establish your desk..tell your place..where you live and i will let you know which company has the best network over there...