Ford Motor Company is seeking to further revolutionize its future automobile lines by studying the suitability of algae as a potential automotive biofuel.
“We look ahead from a technological, economic, environmental and social standpoint at potential next-generation renewable fuels that could power our vehicles,” said Tim Wallington, technical leader at the Ford’s systems analytics and environmental sciences department.
Researchers from the automobile company recently got in touch with the National Biofuels Energy Laboratory at Wayne State University, which focuses on identifying suitable strains of algae that could be used as feedstock for biodiesel.
Separately, the automobile company’s researchers are conducting in-house study on the opportunities and obstacles in manufacturing biodiesel from algae oil at a commercial scale.
The advancement of algae into a commercially feasible biofuel is gaining wind throughout the United States as innovations and policies emerge to back algae development.
Just last April, the House of Representatives introduced House Bill 5142 to support the research and development of algae biofuels.
The Green Jobs Act also aims to grant a 30 percent energy tax credit for investments in eligible cellulosic- and algae-based facilities.
In addition, the legislation seeks to extend the 45-cent per gallon cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit through 2016.
For its part, Ford (NYSE:
F
) said it is steadily producing new biofuel-powered automobiles for use of the general public. The company said it currently offers 14 biofuel-powered vehicles worldwide.
But Sherry Mueller, a research scientist at Ford, is quick to hold back any overreaching hopes for a commercial algae-biofuel in the near future.
“At this point, algae researchers are still challenged to find economical and sustainable ways for commercial-scale controlled production and culturing of high oil-producing algae,” Ms. Mueller said.
A study on the properties of algae oil and algae-based biodiesel reveals that the plant contains large weight percentages of oil. In fact, researchers at Wayne State have discovered that some algae strains can have more oil yield per hectare than soybeans, a popular biofuel feedstock.
Compared with soybeans, algae are low-maintenance plants which only require carbon dioxide, sunlight and trace nutrients to grow.
The plants also reproduce more rapidly than soybeans, multiplying in number every hour. Thus, unlike soybeans which have limited harvest time, algae can be harvested almost daily.
In its 2009 review of family sedans, consumer products reviewer Consumer Reports awarded the hybrid Ford Fusion the top rating.
“The Hybrid successfully blends excellent fuel economy with driving pleasure, something all other hybrids have failed to do. All [Fusions] have a comfortable ride [and] agile handling, and the innovative display on the Hybrid encourages frugal driving,» wrote David Champion of Consumer Reports.
