Algae Power by Jim Parks on Creators.com

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Algae Power

Let's compare the yields of certain biofuel sources: the amount of fuel that an acre of palm yields in one year is 650 gallons. The number for an acre of canola is 150 gallons, and the number for an acre of soy is only 50 gallons. Now consider the number that some companies say that algae — yes, algae — can produce: 6,000 gallons.

There are enormous technological hurdles to producing algae fuel on a scale large enough to compete with fossil fuels, but it is an alternative fuel with a huge output that can be harvested year-round and doesn't require large amounts of tractable land or even clean water.

Well, that fuel would get the attention of research teams and even major companies like Dow Chemical and ExxonMobil, right?

And since algae consumes carbon dioxide, the possibility of hooking up algae plants with industrial plants that produce too much carbon dioxide is causing the lowly green algae to assume center stage.

Questions can be sent to Jim Parks at jrparks@mac.com. To find out more about Jim Parks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.