Biofuel is made using cutting edge technology that is regarded as the future of oil production. The process is pretty much straight forward but it gets difficult when it comes to producing it in large quantities. Due to the high start-up costs not many people were willing to carry out the process at first. However skyrocketing prices of oil together with a new focus on green technology has made biofuel the way to go. Many people want to know how to make algae biofuel and luckily it is easy to understand. This is a new realm and it has many different ways of achieving the end results.<\/p>\n
To begin with you should decide on the right species of algae to use. The process of choosing one is usually determined by efficiency, cost and how difficult it is to grow. One of the most effective species is known as Chlorella. It is cyanobacteria that is green in color and it has many uses. After extracting the lipid oils what remains is used as food. Other types of cyanobacteria that produce more oil include Dunaliella and Botryococcus.<\/p>\n
Different ingredients are prepared according to the cyanobacteria preferred. Most of the species that are good for extracting oil need pretty much the same nutrients to grow. Phosphorus, Potassium and Nitrogen are the main elements required for healthy growth.<\/p>\n
Other elements that are useful in speeding up the process of growth include chloride, silica and iron. You can choose to make your own bath with the necessary nutrients in it. You can also decide to purchase the micro-nutrients blends that are sold by different companies.<\/p>\n
It is necessary to construct a good growing environment for the cyanobacteria. Efficient systems are expensive and they are designed to have a long tube made of plastic and a refreshing water system. It is more economical to grow biofuel algae in ponds that are not deep or open pits of waste water that are even. The most essential factor when constructing a growing environment is salinity and sunlight. Sunlight should be in plenty and the salinity should be medium.<\/p>\n
When ready you can harvest almost 90 percent of the crop. After this process sun is necessary to dry the crop. Harvesting such a large percentage will not affect the next yield since algae population is known to replenish in a very short time as long as the conditions for growth are favorable.<\/p>\n
After drying the next step is extraction of oil from the crop. There are many methods to do this but it is advisable to use a combination of various methods in order to get the most oil. Using an oil press is quite effective as it removes close to three quarters of the oil. Hexane is then used to absorb the remaining oil to separate it from the pulp. Hexane is a good absorber and it is cheap.<\/p>\n
The oil that is extracted is then refined to get fuel. A wide range of biofuels can be made from the oil. Examples of fuels that can be filled in car tanks include biodiesel, biobutanol and biogasoline. Further refinement can also produce jet fuel, methane and vegetable oil. This is one of the guidelines on how to make algae biofuel<\/A>.<\/p>\n