Biofuels represent one of the most promising solutions to the global energy crisis. They are derived from crop waste, manure, and other byproducts making them highly renewable. They can be immediately used wherever diesel fuel is accepted. They reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They are cleaner for your car. They may even help us achieve energy independence and stimulate our economy (Skye, 2014). The list goes on.  There is just one small problem.

The process of refining biofuels is quite difficult and currently costs 20₡ more per gallon than ordinary diesel fuel. Not to mention the large cost of building the necessary manufacturing plants to produce them (Skye, 2014). Ultimately, this is the largest roadblock keeping biofuels from attaining energy stardom. However, recent studies have identified one cost cutting solution that may bring biofuels into the limelight where they belong.  Researcher Bai Yun from her base at San Diego has more:

Bai Yun at her home in the San Diego Zoo

  “First off, I would like to address the common misconception that pandas are lazy and we do nothing but sit around and eat bamboo all day. Quite the contrary, we sit around eating bamboo while making major scientific breakthroughs.  It was about 2 years ago as I was surfing the web in my enclosure updating my status on Facebook when an ad caught my eye. Apparently, when I recently bought a shipment of bamboo and a case of 5-Hour Energy on Amazon, the social marketing algorithm promoting Facebook ads had combined the two purchases to advertise for Blue Marble Energy a Biofuel company in Seattle, Washington. For more information about social marketing, you should watch this fantastic TED talk by Ben Paskoff. No, seriously, you should watch it (Here). Anyway, my curiosity was piqued and I had little else to do so I clicked on the link. It took me to Blue Marble Energy’s homepage where I became fascinated by the science behind creating usable energy from plants.

You see, this company specializes in creating unique biochemical compounds using microbes from other animals to break down organic material. By doing this, they hope to make it easier to synthesize ethanol and biofuels from plants and other waste products. It is a good idea, but as I read more I realized they were doing it all wrong. They were using all the wrong sorts of critters. They needed me.

To the untrained eye, I may appear lazy when I am lying around in the sun eating bamboo, but in reality, I am actually hard at work. For those of you who don’t know, bamboo isn’t your typical leafy green vegetable. It is one tough plant which few other animals can digest. What’s my secret? I’m glad you asked. You see, bamboo takes a short trip through my digestive tract because my body carries unusually potent enzymes from very specific microbes in my stomach which enable me to break down lignocellulose.

So, as soon as I realized I had the solution to their problem, I called them up and pitched my idea. They were all like, “Bai Yun, what a brilliant idea! You are so smart. What would we do without you? Your caretakers should buy you the premium bamboo instead of the cheap commercial stuff you don’t like.” You know, the usual flattery.  Anyway, point in fact, companies are now researching my poop to harness the power of the microbes inside me to melt their plants, or something like that. I’m just glad I could help out.

Now, if I may ask, where are we in getting Pandas off the endangered species list?”

Pandas hard at work making biofuels

Works Cited:

1. Bidwell, Allie. “Giant Pandas Could Help Solve the Global Energy Crisis.” U.S.News & World Report, 10 Sept. 2013. Web.  http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/09/10/giant-pandas-could-help-solve-the-global-energy-crisis
2. Skye, Jared. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Biofuels.” LoveToKnow. 2014. Web.http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Advantages_and_Disadvantages_of_Biofuels

Over the years we have grown rather fond of our things that go beep beep, ring ring, and vroom vroom. Since getting rid of our toys to save a rapidly warming earth from a watery death isn’t an option, we once again search for a new form of energy that isn’t slowly bringing about our mass extinction. This week on Fueling the Future we analyze the potential of Algae Biofuels.

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Ah, algae. While the word might bring to mind the beautiful green waters of a dying marine habitat or the slimy pond scum you try to keep out of your pool, few think of algae as the nation’s next big energy source. Yet, since the 1970’s, scientists have been steadily working on means of converting this plant matter into useful fuel that can power our toys with clean energy.  But, how exactly do we extract the magic algae juice that will power our nation?

Plants, like animals, make triglycerides which act kind of like our fat in that they store chemical energy for later use. In a process only slightly more complex than squeezing an orange to make orange juice, algae is pressed to remove 95% of its oil content. This allows algae to produce nearly 30 times more oil per unit than any of the closest oilseed crops like palm and soy (Nguyen, 2013). Once the oil is extracted, it is then refined in a process called transesterification (I won’t give away any spoilers for those of you who still need to take organic chemistry, but suffice to say, transesterification will bring you much joy in the future). This refined oil is now high-grade biodiesel which can be used as fuel.

So, this all sounds great, right? We have an abundant plant-like material that is easy to grow and chock full of chemical ingredients to make biodiesel. Why aren’t we using this amazing and literally green energy?

Algae biodiesel works, there is no doubt about that. Recent advances in science have enabled scientists to convert raw algae into oil in less than an hour and in 2008 a Mercedes Benz was powered using only algae fuel (Newman, 2008). However, while growing algae in your pool is free and quite easy, growing algae on a grand-scale is not. Cultivating and harvesting the plant matter with current techniques is expensive. Right now, a barrel of algae oil would cost between $240 and $332 per barrel, but actual oil only costs $92 per barrel (Nguyen, 2013).

While algae would be much cleaner than petroleum and many other forms of energy on the market, when it really comes down to it, there is only one kind of green Americans care about, and that’s the green in their pocket. If algae is to be the fuel of the future, it’s going to take many new ideas in the fields of genetic engineering, plant foods, and containment systems in order to reduce the cost. Should these new techniques emerge, America would find itself with a near limitless supply of renewable green energy.  Who knew pond scum could look so good?

Works Cited:

1. Newman, Stefani. “How Algae Biodiesel Works.” HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 18 June 2008. Web. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/algae-biodiesel4.htm
2. Nguyen, Tuan C. “Scientists Turn Algae Into Crude Oil In Less Than An Hour.” Smithsonian. N.p., 31 Dec. 2013. Web. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/scientists-turn-algae-into-crude-oil-in-less-than-an-hour-180948282/?no-ist

EMMA Particle Accelerator

The world is heating rapidly, and if we are going to reverse the process, we need cease relying on fossil fuels for power. Alternative energy is the only way to fuel the future, and this week, we go in-depth into Particle Accelerator Energy.

Currently, the best alternative energy source with even the remotest possibility of meeting the United States vast energy needs, should fossil fuels be taken off the market, is nuclear energy. However, nuclear energy certainly has its faults. Uranium is difficult to find and make chemically active, nuclear waste continues to build up without any way to dispose of it, and underneath everything is the ever present threat of a nuclear meltdown.

Nevertheless, particle accelerators may be the solution. Particle accelerators accelerate highly charged particles (electrons) to extremely high speeds around a coil-like system to generate a powerful magnetic field. This magnetic field smashes larger neutrons against elements with a very high atomic mass to generate energy. However, instead of using uranium to fuel the reactor, researchers are now looking at another element called thorium, which is far more abundant than uranium.

If we began using thorium reactors today, we would have enough fuel to power the world for the next 10,000 years. Ample time to find a new power supply. In addition, thorium is about 200 times more efficient than uranium and 3.5 million times more efficient than coal (Boyle, 2011). But the best part about thorium reactors is that there is no risk of a meltdown due to the fact that an external input of energy is required to fuel the fission reaction is required. And because thorium reactors produce such minute quantities of radioactive waste, it is nearly impossible to use the technology to make weapons.

Right now, a particle accelerator prototype nicknamed EMMA (Electron Model of Many Applications) is in existence in a research facility in England. Coming in at just 10 meters in diameter, with designs to become even smaller, future thorium reactors could power entire neighborhoods using the same amount of space as a typical college dorm. The theory behind it is that thorium atoms release energy when barraged by high energy neutrons. By sending electrons around the circular design, a magnetic field is created which will propel heavier particles like neutrons into the already large and unstable thorium. To increase the strength of the magnetic field, supercharged electromagnets are present to speed up the charged particles. However, despite all this promise, the major obstacle blocking this ingenious power source from revolutionizing the energy industry is the fact that getting the neutrons to hit the thorium with enough force to release their intrinsic energy is still the stuff of science fiction.

Non-hazardous nuclear energy may seem like an oxymoron, but it may soon be possible. With its diminutive size, its clean energy, and its efficiency, particle accelerators have the potential to be an incredible power source for future generations. However, until the science catches up with the idea, particle accelerators as an answer to the world’s energy needs will continue to be just that: an idea.

Works Cited:
1. Bardhan, Debjyoti. “Small Sized Particle Accelerator EMMA | Thorium to Provide Clean Nuclear Energy | Solve Future Power Crisis and Find Cancer Cure.” Techie Buzz RSS. N.p., 20 June 2011. Web. http://techie-buzz.com/science/miniature-particle-accelerator-thorium.html

2. Boyle, Rebecca. “Pocket Particle Accelerators Like This One Could Bring Safer Nuclear Power to Neighborhoods.” Popular Science. N.p., 16 June 2011. Web. http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-06/pocket-particle-accelerators-could-bring-safer-nuclear-power-neighborhoods

3. Rose, David. “This Is Emma. She’s Going to save the World (and Cure Cancer).” Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 11 June 2011. Web. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2001548/Electron-Model-Many-Applications-Technology-save-world.html

At one time we had little need for power. We used fire and the sun for heat and our transportation needs were met by the bridling of horses and carriages. However, that all changed in the mid 1700’s when Thomas Newcomen and James Watt invented the modern steam engine (ucsusa.org). Powered by coal, this critical milestone sparked the rise of the industrial revolution and changed society forever. In 1880, Thomas Edison helped establish the first coal fueled electrical power plant and, one year later, the first hydroelectric plant was built (ucsusa.org). Electric lights, cars, heaters, radios, people began finding more and more ways to use their new found power. Adding increased production of goods and comfort to our lives, Americans soon became hungry for more power and, as a result, energy consumption in the 1900’s doubled every ten years (ucsusa.org). From our humble energy beginnings we expanded from coal to new forms of energy including petroleum, gasoline, and even nuclear. However, around the 1960’s, people began to wonder about the hidden cost of their beloved power. For years, the image of the smokestack had been a symbol of innovation and progress, but now with environmental movements on the rise, people began to question the byproducts spewing into our atmosphere. From 1963 – 1965, Congress passed the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts among other environmental protection laws and President Johnson warned the public of carbon dioxide buildup in our atmosphere. In 1985, scientists predicted that the natural cycle of global warming may come twice as fast due to production methane and other greenhouse gasses. In 1995, an IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report clearly depicted signature signs of global warming including melting ice shelves. And in 2007, another IPCC report found that the ice sheets were shrinking faster than they first predicted (GreenPeace USA, 2015).
Since then, concern for our environment and the cost of investing in clean energy has grown into one of the most prominent political debates today. While coal continues to make up more than 20% of our total energy resources (EIA, 2012), many scientists have begun to search for new renewable emission free energies that will satisfy our growing demand for power and reduce man-made pollution. In Fueling the Future, see energy as you have never seen it before. Together, we will explore the latest fields in modern technology to explore new alternatives fuel sources that may soon be available to us. From nuclear fusion, to hydrogen fuel cells, to algae biofuels, to antimatter, scientists are exploring every branch of science to find the perfect solution. Going in-depth into the future of a new energy source each week and the obstacles to its implementation, this blog will help you stay informed regarding current power debates and dilemmas. So get energized, and keep reading, because the future is now.

References:
1. “A Short History of Energy.” Union of Concerned Scientists Newsletter UCS. Web. http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/a-short-history-of-energy.html#.VMvHkC6YQ4J
2. “Environmental History.” GreenPeace Usa. N.p., 2015. Web. http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/about/environmental-history
3. “U.S. Energy Information Administration – EIA – Independent Statistics and Analysis.” Energy Perspectives, Total Energy. N.p., 2012. Web. http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/annual/perspectives.cfm