Oil production from the tar sands of Alberta is a charged topic, and the impetus for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project. But while that debate rages on, the Canadian government is investing in various ways to mitigate the effects of oil production in the region.
The government is underwriting the construction of a $19 million algal biorefinery that will convert carbon dioxide into commercial products, like biofuels, livestock feed, and fertilizer. The facility will be built at the Primrose South oil production site in east-central Alberta.
The biorefinery will recycle CO2 emissions at the site by using them to grow algal biomass. The CO2 is thereby recycled at the source by incorporating it into biomass through photosynthesis. Further processing can then turn the algal biomass into the various useful products. For example, one ton of algae can yield 100 liters or more of diesel fuel.
The project is a 3-year demonstration-scale program. Its goal is to test the viability and feasibility of the technology on a large scale. Cultivation of algae in enclosed photobioreactors does not require arable land and does not displace agricultural activities or disturb natural ecosystems.
If effective, it could become a widely-used method to convert raw smokestack emissions from heavy industry into algal biomass and then into useful products. If we are to continue to make use of fossil fuels, it is increasingly important to develop ways to capture the carbon dioxide emitted in their use.
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Web Links
Canada Funds Algal Biorefinery to Convert Tar Sands Emissions
http://ens-newswire.com/2013/08/09/canada-funds-algal-biorefinery-to-convert-tar-sands-emissions/
Photo, taken on April 15, 2011, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.