Making Diesel from Algae?

[thudpucker]

Have any of you guys tried this?
Or have you even heard of it?

I got interested a few years ago, and I belive in it.
I need a Chemist to help me with growing the Algae. (Botryococcus braunii)

I have the overview, but not the Details.
Grow the Algae, process the Growth, and Crush the Lipids to get the oil out.

Anybody else?
PM me and we'll get together and make some smoke!

[Cray]

Watched a show about it last year some time and pretty intriguing but looks like a very expensive proposition to undertake on your own. Didn't seem to be a real simple process.

[NeonMoon]

If it's anything like Browns Gas (Hydrogen, "run your car on water"), I wouldn't invest a lot of time or money in it. I built a Hydrogen Generator to try on an old truck I had, 12.5 MPG before installing, 9.5 MPG after. Glad I didn't waste but about $50 on it.

If this stuff worked, a lot more people would be doing it. Generally the only ones boasting its benefits, are those who have a financial interest in it.

[thudpucker]

This is not like "Browns Gas" it's for real.
Just lately in Frisco it will be on sale for a month. Still over $4.50/Gal though.

On a large scale, the U.S. Gov. put out an effort to see is it's viable. Didn't work out financially on both tries.
Right now Crude is $97./Bbl. The Guestimate for Algae diesel is $290/Bbl and as high as $325/Bbl. That is saying the profits not there for large Corporations to invest in.

But for us, the guys that have room for a Shed etc, we could get by making a Tank full for ever three Tanks we buy.
Eventually as we learn and improve it's gonna get cheaper.

Re; Boats.
Some people have boats holding a couple hundred Gallons of Diesel. They don't use those boats real often. So in between uses they could be filling the tanks. Those boats would be on the Water more often if fuel wasn't so costly. If we could make our own, there's a good chance the American buyer/spender would get back on the road and the whole economy would begin to grow again.

If it's ever going to work, America could get rid of Gas Buggys altogether. Make it all Diesel. Except for the small things like Chain saws, Mowers etc. Imagine a "Kit" to convert all our V-8's to a 4Cyl Diesel. I'd jump at it. I'd be driving my neat old 77 F-150 again.