Algae 'an innovative addition' to biofuel composition

An independent eco-blogger has written of the "innovative" nature of the inclusion of algae in biofuel composition.

Eric Burger is studying civil and environmental engineering at Swarthmore College and maintains an archive of eco-aware innovations.

Among the latest additions to his catalogue is a discussion of algae and its potential for inclusion in biofuel composition.

He notes the different methods used to extract oil from algae - whether by simply pressing the desired oil out of it, or by adding a solvent or supercritical carbon dioxide.

The inclusion of supercritical CO2 is the most effective method of conversion, Mr Burger writes, yielding potentially all of the oil available in the algae.

"Proponents hope that large-scale production of algae-based fuel can dramatically lessen our dependence on crude oil, as well as capture immense quantities of CO2 in the process," he adds.

While he concedes that the trapped CO2 is released when the fuel is burned, he points out that the process as a whole remains favourable to the use of fossil fuels.