In our present day global environment energy plays a vital role in all our day to life activities. Pollution and resources for energy plays a threatening role in this technological world. To find an alternative way to this energy thirsty and to prevent the world from pollution disaster an alternative fuel must to be emerging. One of the alternative technological alternative fuel for aviation is the algae. Algae meets all the demands which we placed in front of our question to alternative source for future aviation fuel. Algae as an alternative for aviation can promote energy diversity and a transition to renewable energy sources. Algae is the most abundant and fastest growing species on earth. The great thing about fuel cell is that that they don't care where the hydrogen comes from. The high expense when compared to other energy sources, the need for time to warm-up and pressure for efficient operation, and the lifetime of the algae to grow are excellent which paves a way for it to enter into the energy systems of the nation. This paper deals with the algae as an alternative fuel for aviation from its rise to its sky level applications.
INTRODUCTION ABOUT ALTERNATIVE FUEL
To be competitive and independent from fluctuating support on the long run, biofuels should equal or beat the cost level of fossil fuels. Here, algae based fuels hold great promise, directly related to the potential to produce more biomass per unit area in a year than any other form of biomass. The break-even point for algae-based biofuels should be within reach in about ten to fifteen years. Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, because their tissues are not organized into the many distinct organs found in land plants. Nearly all algae have photosynthetic machinery Ultimately derived from the Cyanobacteria, and so produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis, unlike other photosynthetic bacteria such as purple and green sulfur bacteria.
REASON FOR THE REQUIREMENT OF AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL FOR AVIATION
We all want to live in a clean and green world and breathe pollution free air. For this kind of environment we desperately need a fossil fuel free world. Scientists are toiling hard to come up with alternative fuels which can replace conventional fuels. One such study was presented at the 237th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. This study throws interesting light on the first economical, eco-friendly process to transform algae oil into biodiesel fuel. The most two sectors which are providing a mass amount of pollution in threatening manner, are the automobile sector and aviation sector. However the automobile sector has attained various alternative fuels for the future such as jatropha oil, electrically runnable car, fuel cell etc. But the aviation industry are still striving a lot of efforts to find an alternative fuel for its future generation. If the aviation industry can reduce its dependency on fossil fuel then it will be considered a major landmark achievement for the advocates of clean and green energy. If not, we face the risk of uncoordinated competitive government taxation that won't reduce emissions and also it will be harmful to global economic development.
ALGAE AS ALTERNATIVE FUEL
As aircraft are bound to a liquid fuel (it has the most energy content per weight) alternative resources need to be converted into liquid fuels. The industry needs to consider which source is the best for biofuels, it needs to be relatively easy to harvest compared to fossil fuel, with no impact on human food or water supply whatsoever and must be environmentally friendly. Aircraft engines still cannot run on water but, indirectly, this water can be and is a source of algae. And these algae have a high yield compared to other biomass sources which makes them very interesting to the energy industry. A big advantage of many biofuels over normal fuel types is that they are biodegradable, and if spilled, are harmless to the environment. These combined advantages make algae to utilize it as an alternative fuel.
EMISSIONS IMPOSED BY THE CONVENTIONAL JET FUEL
Greenhouse gas emissions from all forms of transport are growing but emissions from aviation are experiencing much faster growth than from other modes of transport. Air transport emissions still account for a relatively small percentage of total emissions globally around 2% of total man-made CO2 emissions and only around 1.5% of total EU emissions. As a percentage of total emissions from transport, , the contribution of the air transport industry is significantly less than emissions from road transport. However, if they continue to grow at current rates, air transport emissions will clearly account for a significantly larger percentage of total GHG emissions in the future. Even though the aviation community is aware of the results of using fuel on the environment, Upto date the aviation sector is responsible for about 3% of manmade carbondioxide in the atmosphere and a number of studies and industry efforts are active to reduce fuel consumption and also to find out alternative options. Upto the year 2005 the following table illustrates the amount of emission caused by aviation and other sectors.
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METHOD FOR THE CONVERSION OF ALGAE INTO FUEL
Solazyme, a startup based in South San Francisco, CA, has developed a new way to convert biomass into fuel using algae, and the method could lead to less expensive biofuels.
The company recently demonstrated its algae-based fuel in a diesel car, and in January, it announced a development and testing agreement with Chevron. The new process combines genetically modified strains of algae with an uncommon approach to growing algae to reduce the cost of making fuel.
Rather than growing algae in ponds or enclosed in plastic tubes that are exposed to the sun, as other companies are trying to do, Solazyme grows the organisms in the dark, inside huge stainless-steel containers. The company's researchers feed algae sugar, which the organisms then convert into various types of oil. The oil can be extracted and further processed to make a range of fuels, including diesel and jet fuel, as well as other products.
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A NEWLY DEVELOPED METHOD FOR THE CONVERSION PROCESS OF ALGAE INTO FUEL
The making of fuel from the algae involves various stages such as separating from the algae from the solution, separating the oil from the algae and separating the glycerol and various other process. The company uses different strains of algae to produce different types of oil. Some algae produce triglycerides such as those produced by soybeans and other oil-rich crops. Others produce a mix of hydrocarbons similar to light crude petroleum. Solazyme method has advantages over other approaches that use microorganisms to convert sugars into fuel. The oils made by Solazyme algae can then be used for a wider range of products than ethanol.
SPECIFIC FEATURES FOR THE USE OF ALGAE AS AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL
Algae are eukaryotic organisms that have no roots, stems, or leaves but do have chlorophyll and other pigments for carrying out photosynthesis. Algae can be multicellular or unicellular.
Unicellular algae occur most frequently in water, especially in plankton. Phytoplankton is the population of free-floating microorganisms composed primarily of unicellular algae. In addition, algae may occur in moist soil or on the surface of moist rocks and wood. Algae live with fungi in lichens. According to the Whittaker scheme, algae are classified in seven divisions, of which five are considered to be in the Protista kingdom and two in the Plantae kingdom. A nucleus is present, and multiple chromosomes are observed in mitosis. The chlorophyll and other pigments occur in chloroplasts, which contain membranes known as thylakoids. Most algae are photoautotrophic and carry on photosynthesis. Some forms, however, are chemoheterotrophic and obtain energy from chemical reactions and nutrients from preformed organic matter. Most species are saprobes, and some are parasites. Reproduction in algae occurs in both asexual and sexual forms which lead to a large production of algae.
CERTIFICATION FOR THE USAGE OF ALGAE AS AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL FOR AVIATION
United States renewable oil company Solazyme, Inc. claims that its algal-derived aviation fuel is the first to pass eleven of the "most challenging" specifications for standard aviation fuel. The Southwest Research Institute who tested the fuel stated that "the Solazyme algae-based aviation fuel has passed the biggest hurdles needed to successfully develop a commercial and military jet fuel fully consistent with existing engines and infrastructure. Solazyme has developed a conversion process that uses algae to produce oil in large tanks quickly, efficiently and without sunlight. A range of non-food feedstock such as agricultural residues, grasses and industrial by-products can be used as starting materials.
AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ALGAE
Algae are prominent in bodies of water, common in terrestrial environments and are also found in unusual environments, such as on snow and on ice. Algae grow mostly in shallow marine waters, under 100 meters and however some have been recorded to a depth of 360 meters. The various sorts of algae play significant roles in aquatic ecology. Microscopic forms that live suspended in the water column such as phytoplankton provide the food base for most marine food chains. In very high densities these algae may discolor the water and outcompete, poison, or asphyxiate other life forms. These green, fast-growing aquatic plants are a biofuels producer's dream. Algae promises the highest fuel yield in terms of cultivated area. Using algae would also eliminate the pesky problem of competing with land used to grow food crops.
INVESTMENT FOR ALGAE PRODUCTION
Airbus announced a partnership with Honeywell UOP earlier this year to investigate second generation biofuels options. Honeywell has already developed technologies for the conversion of natural oils to military jet fuel through a project funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The venture with Airbus, which also includes International Aero Engines and JetBlue Airways, aims to focus on the conversion of oils from sources including algae into jet fuel. The scope of the research includes the potential for developing biofuels which might improve performance, reduce fuel burn and enhance the reliability and durability of the engine. Dutch company Algae Link, a global manufacturer of commercial scale algae cultivation equipment and algae-to-fuel-technology, has signed an exclusive agreement for a pilot project with KLM on developing alternative fuel for the aviation industry, using algae as a feedstock. The US is forging ahead with research into algae as a feedstock for jet fuels. California based Solazyme, which uses a "dark process" to produce claims to have produced an algae based fuel. Arizona based Petrosun has entered into a joint venture with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to work on the potential for algae-to-jet fuel projects.
ADVANTAGES OF USING ALGAE AS AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL
Another good point is that the aircraft engines don't need to be altered at all if they have to run on biofuels. It has been backed up by test flights by carriers intended to "decouple traffic growth from emissions growth." It was found that biofuel and traditional fuel could be successfully blended without changes to aircraft engines. Airlines would like to control costs and procure biofuels without altering or affecting the food chain. Because there is a real danger that people will start producing biofuels related plants and neglect the cultivation of food crops because that won't be profitable enough.
CONCLUSION
While even biodiesel isn't quite a free lunch, getting biodiesel from algae can bring one step closer. The product we get from algae-produced biodiesel is equivalent to that we get from other oils and the conversion of algal oil is the same as the conversion of any other oil.
