Two Fuels, One Algae

As I recall, the olefin metathesis step to break the alkenones into jet fuel requires an expensive Ruthenium catalyst, but not as expensive as some other catalyst might be. I think this is really big technology, and I hope the growth rate of this organism can be accelerated in some fashion without messing it up.

To think a fellow might grow his own fuel in his back yard is still a little bit out of the question, although in a pinch (SHTF scenario), this might also work in some fashion, but he would have to gain expertise in algae pyrolysis/gasification? In the scenario, no ruthenium allowed or available.

Unless there has been a dramatic DNA level change in the last couple of years, my recollection is that while photon utilization by chlorophyll in the total metabolism of algae is very efficient, the best that can be achieved with intense cultivation intervention in energy convertible photon to biomass production is well under 5 per cent.

I would welcome being informed of solid data showing a much higher conversion rate, somewhere in the real world of solar thermal or PV efficiency with various chemical charge storage systems looped in.

Solar efficiency is less of a concern that the general biomass productivity and value product yield attainable in a given land area, since this is essentially agricultural in nature, and all it has to do is compete favorably with cereal grain production. Algae are already known to produce far more mass per acre whatever the production layout than cereal grains. The potential to produce large quantities of fuel in this manner should not be so easily passed over, as the primary barrier is mainly related to production costs associated with capital expenditure, with the minor costs in maintenance and energy costs of production and harvesting.

If the CAPEX of comparable amounts of solar power and algae fuel energy (as transportable fuel) is higher than the algae production, then it seems clear to go with the algae, but if the converse is true, then solar power could be utilized to make fuels from seawater using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (after the added cost of converting the electricity gets thrown in). Otherwise one is counting on solar power just as an electron source for re-charging e-cars.