We have had discussions in the past about getting oil from algae but I don't think we have ever had good information about it. Here is a good video I found on another forum that talks about the process.

Link

Cha Ching!!

That's a really straight forward, easy to understand video Chris!

Thanks

That is really interesting. Is the amount of energy needed to extract the oil from the algae practical?

cool info chris.

good question ryan. does it cost more to run that system in the video, or go drill wells, pipe to collection, transport to refinery and refine?

what is the actual process of retrieving the lipid and converting to fuel....distallation?

Well,it must be worth doing,after all,they took half the corn crop for fuel,doubling prices at the grocery store to make fuel

Yeah, Tom, but now watch algae prices go through the roof.

I can see it now:
Fillet-o-fish fried in 100% pure algae oil. NO TRANS FATS!

Yum!

Damn! Now that I've decided to start selling Blue Tilapia, everyone will WANT algae! Obsolete and out of business even before starting!

thats funny rainman..

New marketing idea for my Blue Tilapia!!!!!

Whadda ya'll think?
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Self Frying Tilapia!

Thanks for posting that Young Blood. Great stuff. Seems like a very viable technology. I wonder what the end product costs per barrel.

I can see it now. The oil companies will be leasing ponds to grow algae!

I think if I ran my septic tank into my pond I could grow some massive amounts of algae! But it could get smelly!

But you would probably have a lot of gas!

I think that would be an understatement!

I googled "Oil From Algae", wow I had no idea how big this is becoming. Iowa has entered into a partnership to begin researching this technology as is the state of Washington. It's being done in Texas and Arizona.

Very facinating stuff.

Oil from algae makes a lot of sense. After all, that's where our crude oil came from. It didn't really come from dead dinosaurs, like they used to think.

Current yields aren't bad at all, but improved strains of algae could truly make oil production economically feasible.

Why couldn't it have been oil from Elodea. Heck I'm so good at growing that. I killed mountains of it this past year. If I could have turned Elodea into oil I'd be the Elodea Tycoon. Private jets, limo's rides everywhere, I'd order one of the new Ferrari California models. I'd buy the northern half of the state of Nevada and flood it with snow melt from the Sierra's. Make the whole darn area my own personal pond. I'd stock everything that could live in fresh water. Large mouth bass, small mouth bass, medium mouth bass, northern pike, southern pike, in between pike, sunfish, moonfish, black fish, blue fish, fat fish, skinny fish, any fish, every fish. All of you could say you knew JHAP before he became one of the beautiful people.

Stupid, stupid Elodea.

We could name your place Salty Arabia Jeff.

Wow, I like that Heybud! Dang you just earned yourself private wing of the Salty Arabia Summer Palace, complete with private helicopter.

Oh and I'm thinking that you'll be the Chief Executive Officer of Winocerous World. I figure if I'm Bill Gates rich then I can make that happen as well.

Jeff,

I feel the same way about Chara which btw is actually an algae even though it doesn't look like it. And I could swear it turns to black oil when it decomposes in my wheelburrow if I don't empty it for a few days!

[stop the press, jhap is going to ask serious question, calm yourself, you knew it would happen eventually, the time has come]

Every now and then I see a oil-lookin sheen across a small portion of the water. JWHAP and I both saw it in one area of the pond this year. Then usually after a few days it's gone. Could that possibly be oil being released from algae? Does FA contain any oils that are released? We have pine trees so I always figured that it was a pine branch that fell into the pond and was releasing something. But could it be oil from algae?