Tucson Citizen Morgue, Part 1 (2006-2009)

‘Green’ fuel may be just that: slimy green

by Garry Duffy on Aug. 04, 2008, under Local

UA researcher says fuel with algae could be practical in five years

University of Arizona associate professor Joel L. Cuello believes that forms of algae could be key ingredients in new mixes of fuel that would cut dependency on oil and biodiesel fuel.

Drivers faced with eternally spiking fuel prices may be excused if they view oil company barons as little more than pond scum.

But pond scum – or some close algae cousins – could provide a key toward the development of fuels to give motorists an alternative to having to pump pure gas or diesel into their vehicles – and more cash into oil company bank accounts.

University of Arizona researcher Joel L. Cuello believes that cars and trucks could run efficiently and economically on fuels with algae as a key component in about five years.

“It works,” he said recently. “Now it’s just a matter of cost.”

And while the arid Sonoran Desert may seem an odd location for research into algae, it has all that is needed to become an effective player in the mass production of biofuels as alternatives to pure gasoline and diesel fuel.

“You need sun and water,” Cuello said, adding that algae does not require clean water in which to grow.

“You can use waste water,” he said, like secondary treated effluent from waste water treatment plants.

Another big potential advantage of algae-based fuels is that agricultural lands are not needed. Algae can be grown either in open bodies of water or in enclosed systems, which likely will prove the most efficient in the long run but the more costly to develop, Cuello said.

Different types of algae can be used in various fuel types: biodiesel, ethanol, and to produce hydrogen, another potential alternative source of energy.

Algae could replace corn and other food crops that are used in ethanol production to the point of causing shortages of such commodities, sending prices upward on the national and world markets and prompting clear-cutting of forests in Central and South America, Malaysia and other heavily forested areas to make room for crops that can be used in ethanol production, Cuello said.

Cuello, an associate professor at UA’s department of agriculture and biosystems engineering, is in the forefront of research into algae-based fuels, but he isn’t alone.

“This is a global race,” he said.

He said that other oil-thirsty nations are pouring resources into finding practical, economical alternatives to fuels based solely on shrinking petroleum reserves.

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