Veridium Patents Yellowstone Algae-Fed Bioreactor to Capture Ethanol Plant CO2 Emissions
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 2.06
Veridium Corp has announced its patent-pending technology for the conversion of exhaust carbon dioxide from the fermentation stage of ethanol production facilities back into new ethanol and biodiesel. Veridium's bioreactor uses an iron-loving blue-green algae species discovered thriving in a hot stream at Yellowstone National Park.
The Viridium BioStarch Recirculation System routes exhaust carbon dioxide from the fermentation stage of the ethanol production process through the bioreactor, where it is consumed by algae that are comprised of about 94% starch and about 6% oil. Presumably, the starch byproduct can be reclaimed for ethanol fermentation and the oil for biodiesel production. Veridium Corp is a subsidiary of GreenShift, which we've written about before.
For perspective and a bit of controversy on the broader ethanol plant CO2 emissions topic, we suggest you have a look at this blast from TreeHugger's recent past.
I hope part of that patent doesn't involve the naturally occurring and free blue-green algae they found on public lands...
Interesting CO2 capture and biodiesel.
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Ah yes. But more than just nteresting. Bioreactors are as common as the rotating filter in your aquarium, a categorically proven technology that can be (and has been) scaled up to sewerage treatment plant effluent polishing size. It may even be listed by USEPA as "BAT" for that purpose. Far more of a "known" entity, for certain, than the Holy Grail of "C02 Sequestration" being promoted by oil and coal buringin interests. To the high scalability of bioreactors I attribute another most crucial difference. Only a highly centralized and capitalized corporation or government is capable of implementing deep well injection: hence leading to a monopoly on electricity generation and fuel choice. Whereas, with a bioreactor, anyone anywhere is capable of capturing carbon dioxide: good for distributed generation schemes that cut line loss.
I hope part of that patent doesn't involve the naturally occurring and free blue-green algae they found on public lands...
I'd imagine (and hope) the patent is for the process of CO2 usage by algae to produce biodiesel, and I hope it does not in anyway restrict the use of the same algae by other folks...
A page that provides more info on algae based biodiesel is - Biodiesel from Algae - Info, Links, from The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia
Hope this helps
Vic, Castor Oil
That older post was clearly a disservice to readers. Ignoring that the carbon in plant based fuels was recently extracted from the atmosphere is a major boner.
As for the various algae to biofuels processes that are being tested at this time, I hope I don't continue to read comments by Luddites who don't like that the algae would be fed CO2 from coal, because as Mr. Mackey might say, "Coal is bad."
=== authors response follows ====
I accept your viewpoints as legitimate. But I also maintain that earth's climate does not distinguish between sources of C02. All sources are equal and should be minimized if economic benefit can be found in doing it. No major source gets a pass just because its emission follows photosynthetic capture. This world view should apply everywhere (opinion). China and India do not get a pass just because they are poor and overpopulated. The US does not get a pass just because their economy is supposedly carrying the world economy forward. Nor do renewable sources get a pass just because they are renewable. All suffer from climate disaster.
yeah like seriously i hugged a tree and it saved my life, if you do not have respect for the trees then i don't have respect for you - and thats a given. we need to breathe the trees help us. we breathe in oxygen and relase carbon dioxide to the environment (inculding trees) help the tree!
peace out! stop the war!!!