From today’s New York Times:
“Dow Chemical and Algenol Biofuels, a start-up company, are set to announce Monday that they will build a demonstration plant that, if successful, would use algae to turn carbon dioxide into ethanol as a vehicle fuel or an ingredient in plastics.â€
Your favorite aquarium plant
Your favorite aquarium plant
John Godbey
Springfield, VA
Springfield, VA
More on the algae front:
"On Tuesday, Exxon plans to announce an investment of $600 million in producing liquid transportation fuels from algae — organisms in water that range from pond scum to seaweed. The biofuel effort involves a partnership with Synthetic Genomics, a biotechnology company founded by the genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter. " http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/14/busin ... ml?_r=1&hp
They could have saved a lot of money a few weeks ago and just used two of my tanks. But he who hesitates is lost, so now they will have to invest that $600 million.
"On Tuesday, Exxon plans to announce an investment of $600 million in producing liquid transportation fuels from algae — organisms in water that range from pond scum to seaweed. The biofuel effort involves a partnership with Synthetic Genomics, a biotechnology company founded by the genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter. " http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/14/busin ... ml?_r=1&hp
They could have saved a lot of money a few weeks ago and just used two of my tanks. But he who hesitates is lost, so now they will have to invest that $600 million.
John Godbey
Springfield, VA
Springfield, VA
Great articles. Hopefully this is more than just a strawman effort by Exxon to look like their investigating alternatives. It worries me a little bit that they're engineering algae, and yet may grow it outdoors in "open ponds," verses in closed systems.
Anyone know what the risk of inevitably introducing a higher-lipid-producing algae to nature is?
Anyone know what the risk of inevitably introducing a higher-lipid-producing algae to nature is?
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DelawareJim
- Posts: 1249
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 4:25 pm
- Real Name: Jim Michaels
- Location: Southeast PA
I imagine there will be some unintended consequences. I can picture this algae escaping, clinging to the legs of ducks and being much more difficult to eradicate because of it's "fat reserves" thanks to genetic engineering.
Just think how much fun it'll be. It'll get into out aquariums via outdoor cultivated plants and we're faced with either a complete tear-down, throwing aways all the plants, and sterilization all the hardscape or a weeks longs blackout and praying that the algae doesn't outlive the plants. Yippee!
I remember reading an article in USDA News back in 2004 that scientists discovered GM markers in wild maize in Mexico which outlawed all GM crops. Apparently Monsanto misunderstood how far wind borne pollen can travel and failed to recognize the fact that wind borne pollen does not recogize international borders and "No-Fly" zones.
If nothing else, the genetic material in wild maize from which all modern corn developed has been permanently polluted. Unless someone embarks on a rather lengthy and expensive project to breed the modified genes back out.
Cheers.
Jim
Just think how much fun it'll be. It'll get into out aquariums via outdoor cultivated plants and we're faced with either a complete tear-down, throwing aways all the plants, and sterilization all the hardscape or a weeks longs blackout and praying that the algae doesn't outlive the plants. Yippee!
I remember reading an article in USDA News back in 2004 that scientists discovered GM markers in wild maize in Mexico which outlawed all GM crops. Apparently Monsanto misunderstood how far wind borne pollen can travel and failed to recognize the fact that wind borne pollen does not recogize international borders and "No-Fly" zones.
If nothing else, the genetic material in wild maize from which all modern corn developed has been permanently polluted. Unless someone embarks on a rather lengthy and expensive project to breed the modified genes back out.
Cheers.
Jim
