A demonstration plant is being developed to perfect a new process that uses algae to turn carbon dioxide into ethanol. The partnership between Dow Chemical and Algenol Biofuels plans on producing 100,000 gallons a year, Matthew L. Wald reports for The New York Times. (Algenol Biofuels photo: Algae grows in saltwater troughs.)Algae has long been an appealing energy substitute because it does not require farmland, and scientists at the University of Kentucky have been conducting their own research on the topic. Wald reports that the process of using the algae could be more environmentally friendly and cost effective with a target price of $1 a gallon. Paul Woods, chief executive of Algenol, told Wald, “The process also produces oxygen, which could be used to burn coal in a power plant cleanly.” The majority of the waste from such a plant would be carbon dioxide, which could then be reused to make more algae. Peter A. Molinaro, a spokesman for Dow, said the algae method is intriguing because the chemistry is so simple. “We’re looking at options, and this is one.” (Read more)
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