Seaweed biofuel

Looking at a slimy mass of seaweed, the last thing that springs to mind is “Yum!” The second last thing is “Let’s put it in our automobiles and go for a clean energy drive in the country.” But that’s just what researchers are proposing we do with the massive quantities of the stuff available off the coast of Scotland.

Wait…what? Seaweed for fuel?

It’s a simple concept in sustainable energy: use what’s readily available in abundant quantities. Take hydroelectric dams that tap into the abundant energy flowing in our rivers or the wind farms that convert wind to energy. Now, there is seaweed for biofuel.

And Scotland has lots of it. And according to the Scottish Association for Marine Science, that adds up to a lot of untapped energy. A recent report recommends building pilot seaweed and algae farms to truly assess the marine biomass potential of Scotland.  

But the environmental potential of seaweed doesn’t stop at just burning the stuff as fuel. In Israel, Seambiotic is looking at re-using carbon dioxide from power plants to grow seaweed.  Instead of simply expelling it into the atmosphere, Seambiotic will use carbon dioxide as a nutrient source for seaweed.  

The carbon dioxide will be fed into cultivation pools for microscopic seaweed and algae where it is transformed into harmless gasses, including oxygen. Researchers estimate it’s possible to produce a litre of fuel for every five kilograms of seaweed.  By placing seaweed pools in standard power plants, carbon dioxide emissions can be not only be significantly reduced, but put to good use.  

Suddenly, seaweed seems less slimy and a little more sweet.