Ever heard of algae, yep, the stuff that turns your lovely aquarium from a showcase to a gunky looking, fish killing tank. The green stuff as it turns out is a viable source of biomass for the production of BioDiesel which is now getting bad publicity due to the effects fertilizer run-off is getting from environmentalists. It turns out the production of BioDiesel and other alternative fuel from grain is having a very serious side-effect by which it kills off fish and plant life in rivers and streams even having effects that are as far reaching as the seas. Such is the case in the Gulf of Mexico and in Canada where nitrogen rich fertilizers are sending algae (blue green algae) into unusually long blooms that kill of all fish and plant life leaving and environment that is unable to support any life.
The alternative, grow the same algae in vertical plastic sheets to which horizontal channels are put into feeding water and nutrient rich water on the top and algae rich water at the bottom. Then repeat the process several times over by stacking these vertical layers one after the other and you get a viable source of algae for BioDiesel needs. The construction and operation of the first biodiesel plant in Africa that is set to produce commercial quantities of the alternative fuels from bioreactors is sign that the time has come for the lowly green gunk to become a contributor to the world’s growing need for green-fuels. Research continues in the expansion of the application of the products such as for health drinks, energy drinks and other uses that may only be the tip of the iceberg for the lowly algae that has been around for millions of years waiting for its full potential from being recognized.