Reply #7: Algae to solve the Pentagon's jet fuel problem

[Turborama]

They might have begun production of some foul concoction to give the USAF for evaluation but it looks like the Pentagon have already made their minds up about this one...

Algae to solve the Pentagon's jet fuel problem

Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 13 February 2010 16.04 GMT

The brains trust of the Pentagon says it is just months away from producing a jet fuel from algae for the same cost as its fossil-fuel equivalent.

The claim, which comes from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) that helped to develop the internet and satellite navigation systems, has taken industry insiders by surprise. A cheap, low-carbon fuel would not only help the US military, the nation's single largest consumer of energy, to wean itself off its oil addiction, but would also hold the promise of low-carbon driving and flying for all.

Darpa's research projects have already extracted oil from algal ponds at a cost of $2 per gallon. It is now on track to begin large-scale refining of that oil into jet fuel, at a cost of less than $3 a gallon, according to Barbara McQuiston, special assistant for energy at Darpa. That could turn a promising technology into a market-ready one. Researchers have cracked the problem of turning pond scum and seaweed into fuel, but finding a cost-effective method of mass production could be a game-changer. "Everyone is well aware that a lot of things were started in the military," McQuiston said.

The work is part of a broader Pentagon effort to reduce the military's thirst for oil, which runs at between 60 and 75 million barrels of oil a year. Much of that is used to keep the US Air Force in flight. Commercial airlines – such as Continental and Virgin Atlantic – have also been looking at the viability of an algae-based jet fuel, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/28/china-algae-carbon-capture-plan">as has the Chinese government.

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/13/algae-solve-pentagon-fuel-problem