“Up to now biologists have been in charge of this process but we need to apply the principles of physics theory as well, particularly the interaction of light and matter which I researched for my doctorate.”
The closed panels to be attached to James’s unit are designed to constantly circulate algae, which then double in size every four hours. The doubled half of the algae is then harvested, filtered and turned into biofuel, which is then blended with traditional oil and diesel.
James said that currently around five per cent of all fuel at petrol pumps is biofuel, blended with 95 per cent regular petrol and diesel. The EU has a target to increase the biofuel mix to10 per cent by 2020.
James said: “I firmly believe sustainable biofuels are the answer. Money is being pumped into Brazilian sugar ethanol projects, as there is proven technology there and markets for it. Big companies are buying up
D’art Gallery Exhibition
Amanda Hoskin Cyril Croucher Colin Kent RI
October 22nd brochure available
agricultural land to farm biofuels. Environmentally this is a disaster as these crops need intensive farming and fertiliser and should be used as food. Even worse is the use of palm oil for bio diesel, which is creating further Brazilian rainforest deforestation to turn land into palm oil plantations.
“The US uses three times as much water and oil energy as Europe and is desperate to get biofuels working. The first generation of biofuels have been under huge debate as they have focussed on using food crops and agricultural land, such as sugar, maize and soya – even resulting in food riots in South America.
“From a moral standpoint it is totally inappropriate to grow biofuels on agricultural land. There are huge saline aquifers in the desert now from intensive agriculture and the attempt to green the desert near the Arral Sea in Russia has been a complete disaster.
“Algae for biofuel can avoid these issues. It can be grown on marginal land such as steep valleys, swamps and deserts and is much less intensive and cheaper to manufacture. And, more importantly from a humanitarian point of view, doesn’t interfere with food crops and prices. It’s production, however, is still non commercial and on an unproven scale.”
James said that most algae trials have concentrated on growing algae in open pond systems. However, the algae evaporate quickly outdoors and get eaten by wildlife that also brings in spores of zooplankton, which ravishes the algae further. A closed system, such as the one that James is developing, keeps out wildlife and limits the evaporation rates.
There are many trials happening now around the world, including a huge Seambiotic algae pond in Israel and, closer to home; Exeter University is experimenting with an Algae PBR (photobioreactor).
Oil giant Exxon has given J Craig Venter – the biologist famous for the human genome project – a $500 million grant to create a “super algae”.
D’art Gallery, 4 Lower Street, Dartmouth tel: 01803 834923
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The race is on to both maximise algae growth and minimise cost per square metre to make algae an economically viable resource, and James’s invention is most definitely in the running.
interview by Kate Cotton 67
‘Dartmouth’ Cyril Croucher
‘Boathouse at Bantham’ Cyril Croucher
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