Will algae oil save the planet?

In our green real estate section we usually try to focus on environmentally friendly advice for our homes. If you drive around daily in a car that needs more and more gas and you feel guilty, this article will bring you some interesting information about a new research. One of the essential parts of our daily routine is oil. Nowadays, the inevitable part of a life in the developed world is a car, and nearly everybody owns one. So do I, of course, as a realtor who drives around daily. Without our dear cars, the life would be so much harder. Unfortunately, we all know the two main problems related to driving: unsure oil supplies driving prices up and down and the environmental harm caused by fuel burning and the related carbon dioxide emissions.

The Institute for Genomic Research was established by Craig Venter, an American biologist and a prosperous businessman. Genetic engineering is the main focus of his work, that has provoked a great deal of heated debate by his most recent project.

Algae are known for creating natural oil, which is already part of several experiments with biofuels. But Craig Venter wants to explore more than that. He is trying to adjust the genomic structure of algae in order to create oil, which is almost identical to traditional crude oil. That would be a huge step forward, as we would be able to use the current oil industry infrastructure such as refineries, and even plastics production could use the same procedure and production plants as we are using currently, making plastics from crude oil. It doesn’t surprise us that one of the companies producing the most oil on the planet, Exxon Mobile, gave $600 million for Ventor to go on with his research.

And where is the ecological benefit, you may ask? It’s just there. The oil created by algae could well contribute to dealing with one of the most serious problems of our world. Plants use the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, utilize it in a photosynthesis process to create the oil and then the oil is burned and turned into oxalates. Of course, this miracle solution won’t be available this or next year, but apparently it is a good way to go. The team of Craig Venter are trying to win where others have tried and failed, but this time there is a great chance of success. There are many people out there that want to go easy on the environment, but due to their occupation, it is very difficult for them to stop using cars, just like so many of my fellow Toronto real estate agents can’t.

Technorati Tags: algae, environment, gas, green living, oil, planet

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