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Numerous
scientific groups around the country are working on just
"when" that might be. In Texas, for instance, that state’s
Emerging Technology Fund recently awarded Texas A&M a $4 million
grant for research into algae based biofuels to support domestic and
military needs.
A scientific
alliance known as Livefuels Inc. is working on a plan to sponsor dozens
of labs and hundreds of scientists during the next 18 months.
The alliance will
be led by Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy
National Lab and a leader in processing engineering, bioscience and
biotechnology.
If U.S.
dependence on foreign oil is to end or be curtailed significantly, much
will depend on how far and how fast science can move algae
transformation studies into mass production, one that will fill gas
pumps and cars around the nation.
What James is
doing in his little Lee County lab is refining a process aimed at
obtaining algae and, through a gasification transition, turning it into
fuel. James, at times, has to explain in basic terms to groups just what
he’s doing, but he’s quick to say the algae idea isn’t exactly
rocket science or brain surgery.
"It’s
really not all that hard to understand," he said, recently, during
an interview with Cooperative Farming News at his rural research
facility about 10 miles from Opelika. "We just squeeze the oil out
of algae and turn it into gasoline."
Back in the
spring, James conducted a seminar for officials from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and other interested parties. To say they were impressed
would be an understatement.
His seminar was
one of several reasons his cell phone remains busy as he prepares to
meet representatives from business, industry and the military who are
interested in his algae project.
He said the Air
Force seems particularly interested in what his group is doing. Needless
to say, he’s happy to oblige with details. The thought of jet fighters
using fuel emanating from algae is the stuff of which dreams are made.
The word James
uses to outline the algae process is 19 letters long, but he likes to
shorten it with a relatively succinct definition.
Transesterification,
said James, is a method of collecting algae from water, drying it and
then squeezing oil from it in a kinetic energy machine. Then, voila!,
the oil eventually becomes gasoline that can be pumped into vehicles.
The bottom line,
as it is in most scientific pursuits, is turning an idea into a workable
endeavor and then capitalizing on it in a really big way for financial
and humanitarian rewards.
James has no
doubts it can be done if all the pieces fall into place. He’s also
willing to put his money where his mouth is and his
"laboratory" out in the boondocks bears witness to his
dedication.
He’s not only
producing biodiesel, he’s using it whenever and wherever he can,
including a couple of Grasshopper lawn-mowers. One runs on standard
gasoline, the other on diesel. At least one vehicle also uses the end
result of algae transformation in Lee County.
According to
James, who splits his time between his energy project and being
headmaster of Eastwood Christian School, farmers around the country are
on the verge of discovering their own gold mine in the form of a green
plant.
The technology
has been around for a long time, said James, but there was no real
impetus to use it for energy purposes. That emphasis has been provided
in recent years by Arab oil producers.
James, who has a
patent which outlines in detail what he’s working on, said one algae
cell can divide every seven hours—producing a huge amount of fuel when
it’s "harvested."
"An acre of
soybeans can produce 50 gallons of fuel," he said. "An acre of
algae can produce 15,000 gallons of fuel."
Multiply that by
potentially billions of gallons of fuel from algae cells and it’s easy
to see an answer to foreign oil dependence could be just around the
corner.
With the high
price of aviation fuel contributing to debilitating changes within the
industry, commercial airline companies have begun looking at algae as a
possible way to recover from disastrous financial reports in recent
quarters.
A coalition of
airline companies, including Boeing, has been advocating stepped-up
research for new energy sources, including algae-based biofuels.
Who knows, one
day, when you board a flight to Boston or San Francisco, you just might
be flying the friendly skies on algae-based fuel—an energy source
emanating, in part, from Lee County.
Alvin Benn is
a freelance writer from Selma. |
