A major new research project is to get underway in Europe to advance the production of algae as a source of green oil in more challenging climates such as the UK.
The £12.3 million initiative, called
EnAlgae, aims to establish the productivity potential of
North West Europe as an
algae-growing region. The four and half year research programme will aim to find out whether countries such as the UK can grow algae on a large-scale and cost-effectively for use as
biofuels and other green products.
Algae hold significant potential as sustainable alternative energy to fossil-based oils and are considered to be environmentally, ecologically and socially more desirable than biofuels made from food crops. However, up until now
research and development into algae as a green source of fuel has mainly been in warmer climates, where algae can be grown more easily.
"Much of the focus so far has been on the production of algae in more favourable climates, such as the US, but there is a distinct lack of information about how algae grow at scale in more challenging climates," Dr Claire Smith, algae lead at the NNFCC, the UK’s National Centre for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials, one of the organisations involved in the project.
Algae can be grown on non-arable land using seawater. TheEnAlgae project will establish a series of pilot seaweed farms and microalgae growth facilities in North West Europe. The information gathered will be used to analyse the value and carbon emissions reductions achievable from making fuel, energy and other products from algae in North West Europe. The research project will also develop a computer-based tool to work out how and where algae could be grown in the region.
Potential of algaeGlobally, initial forecasts suggest that algae-based biofuels could replace over 70 billion litres of fossil-derived fuels used annually in
road transport and
aviation by 2030 – equivalent to 12 per cent of annual global jet fuel consumption or six per cent of road transport diesel. This would equate to an annual carbon saving of over 160 million tonnes of CO2 globally.
The Carbon Trust, which is running its own UK-based
research project to commercialise algae biofuel as an alternative to fossil-based oil, says algae could deliver six to 10 times more energy per hectare than conventional cropland biofuels.
EnAlgae is being principally funded by the EU and the Welsh Government's Targeted Match Fund. The UK lead partner on the project is Wale’s Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research, Other UK organisations taking part include Birmingham City University, InCrops Enterprise Hub, National Non-Food Crops Centre, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Queen’s University Belfast and the Scottish Association for Marine Science.
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