I hypothesize 

• IT would be possible for algae to produce biofuels, given the substantial lipid content in algae that contains valuable fatty acids which act as the base for fuel. 

My concern however lies at the efficiency of the fuel, as conventional fossil fuels usually are abundant while algae can only be accessed during certain times of the year. 

Moreover, fossil fuels have been heavily researched while the concept of algal biofuels is considered very new as scientists are still researching .

For the second question, as well will learn, there are 2 types of popular algae sources, micro and macro. Micro produces biodiesel while Macro produces bioethanol, both branches of biofuel. The macro would be better as it is larger as well easier to harvest making it more efficient in terms of production. 

 

In recent years, we have seen an upsurge in natural calamities such as hurricanes and snowstorms. Climate change, driven by deforestation and greenhouse emissions from fossil fuels, has been identified as the primary cause of this severe problem.  Canada alone has used 120,290 gigawatt hours of fossil fuels in 2020, which rose to 122,734 in 2021. This increase is evident on why we research must be conducted to find a viable alternative. Since Canada is surrounded by oceans, algae could very well be the next best thing.

 

Though fossil fuels are efficient, they have a negative influence on the environment. Biofuels, a cleaner energy source, are an alternative answer. Derived from renewable biomass materials, biofuels achieve a cleaner impact due to the fact that they absorb the same amount of carbon during growth as well as during usage.  Biofuel, in simple terms, are fuels or energy derived from living materials including plants, animal waste and fungi. 

 

This amazing discovery helps provide an eco friendly solution to regular greenhouse gasses. By doing so,  it helps reduce greenhouse gasses polluting the atmosphere as well as stops our dependence on unstable foreign fuel suppliers.

They provide agricultural opportunities and diversifies energy sources which yield a more stable supply of energy.

Algae, though an aquatic based organism, still can be leading source of biofuel.  

• This is due to its extremely high content of oil or lipids. These lipids contain high energy and are perfect to convert to biofuels with processes such as transesterification.  
• Algae’s growth rate is also a prevailing factor on why it is such a good biofuel as algae’s rapid growth rate continues to outperform the growth rate of other biofuel competitors.  In fact, algae can double its amount in a few hours.  This rapidiness makes the plant  extremely sustainable. 
• Finally the last thing that makes  algae a hopeful source of biofuel in the near future, is its versatility in cultivation. Algae is an extremely adaptable materiale and can be harvested in many different forms and ways including ponds, photobioreactors, and closed systems. This makes it easy to keep up with ongoing demand for biofuel and makes it very adaptable. 

 

Transesterification, in simple terms is the basic chemical reactions that occur to transform algae to usable biofuel.  This process is where triglycerides from lipids are extracted and mixed with alcohol base as well as a growing catalyst to produce palpable fuel.  The process below is the transesterification of algae.

 

Cultivation

 

Harvesting

 

Extraction 

 

Transesterification 

 

Refining

 

Algae is then harvested once reached a sufficient amount through filtration.

 

Once the algae is dried enough, its crucial fats are extracted and refined to produce the triglycerides need for the fuel.

 

These triglycerides  are mixed with alcohol such as ethanol as well as sodium to produce the needed fuel. 

 

Algae is cultivated in special facilities where is can be grown fats to keep with demand

 

This biofuel is then refined and made pure and safe for usage.

The future of biofuel technology holds promising developments and ongoing research continues. As we go into genetic engineering and innovative cultivation techniques, the possibility and versatility of biofuels become increasingly apparent. Biofuel technology has the potential to revolutionize the global energy landscape, offering a renewable and better source that can meet the ever-growing energy demands of our planet.

 

Though this amazing plant is a fascinating new discussion topic, it does come with it cons. Firstly, the cost of operating an algae production plant is much more than burning traditional fossil fuels. The materials required for large-scale cultivation, the energy-intensive process of extracting oil from algae, and the need for sophisticated technology all contribute to enlarged production expenses.  Additionally, thought algae is the future of a greener planet, the competition for land and water to build an algae farm is quite high and the effects to build such a farm could be detrimental to the overall ecosystem. though there are some holdbacks, that must be overcome,  algae holds encouraging hope as an cleaner alternative for energy. 

As our world continues to shift, show does its climate, and algae eventually develop new adaptations and forms which contain less lipids. It is crucial that we strive to preserve these precious plants as not only are they heavily beneficial to our climate but also to our economies.

Genetic Modification: has emerged as a great way to change the overall characteristics of algae at a molecular level, which means faster growth and more lipids.  Genetic modification of algae for biofuel typically involves techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9, metabolic engineering, and selective breeding to enhance traits related to lipid production and overall biomass yield.

Algae Testbeds: this is where labs place algae in special testbeds and study them to improve biomass conversion, coproduct development and development of technical standards. 

Growth systems: Different facilities have begun to input new growth system each with their own pros; closed systems for algae growing involve contained environments, like photobioreactors, offering precise control; open systems use natural sunlight and ambient air for cultivation; pond systems employ large outdoor basins, allowing algae to proliferate in natural conditions. The array of cultivation methods, offers tailored advantages based on the unique characteristics and environmental features of each location.

   

 For example, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is an institution dedicated to advancing algae development, featuring specialized laboratories equipped with algae testbeds, freezers, and a team of biologists focused on the study of this intriguing plant.

Macro algae, commonly known as seaweed, are multicellular organisms, abundant in both fresh and saltwater regions. Throughout history, it has risen as popular sources of food, fertilizer or even traditional medicine due to its amazing properties. Now, in recent years it has also become aparat as a promising biofuel source as  not only does it have a large biomass, but also degradable, sulphur-free lipids and carbs, needed for transfericatipon. lso, it is a high carbon-intaking plant, meaning that it reduces carbon in the environment as well as making an alternative to it.

Microalgae, are unicellular organisms that can't be seen by the naked eye. They play crucial role in ecosystem,providing food, shelter as well as gas. Just like marcoalage, they have also risen a promising biofuel factor, due to its exceptionally high lipid content and easy harvest rate. macroalgae uses carbs to make bioethanol while microalgae uses lipids to make biodiesel, both branches of biofuel. 

 

 

For research portion

Independent: two types of algae; micro vs macro 

Dependent: the algae that makes the better biofuel 

Controlled: N/A

For the experiment portion(Demonstrating how easy and quick we can grow Algea)

Independent: Light and Heat supplied for algal growth

Dependent: The growth of algae

Controlled: N/A

Ordered the Algea Vial from Algea Reserach supply laboratory,San Diego via amazon.ca via canada post

Container : a 500ml plastic santised Jar

 Water and Salts: Disinfected Chlorine free water and the specific salts for growing your target organism. I used salts I give in my home aquarium

Nutrients: Nutrients are the molecules that the algae assemble into proteins and other functional parts of their cells. I used fish food I give in my home aquarium

Light: Photosynthetic organisms need light. Under the LED panel at home , added the LED study lamp . Kept lid of the container slightly open

Heat: Most algae live 18-25C. We might need a heater to keep conditions comfortable,Kept near furnace vent

Day 1: Jan 18th

I prepared my jar with the  following and inserted an aquarium thermometer to measure the temperature

Day 2:Jan 20th

I added an aquarium heater to add a little more heat to the water.

Day 6 :Jan 24th

I replaced the aquarium heater and placed it near furnace vent in that way the temperature was stable and same as before and consumed less electricity(as i turned heater off)

Day 8 :Jan 26th

No growth was noticed so Mr Rip suggested that algae growth needs more heat and Light. I added a LED light apart from keeping it under the main ceiling LED.

Day 15: Feb 10th

No growth observed So I decided to make this reserach one and studied more and more on websites to gather information

Day 20: Feb 14th

I got my slide show back and mr rip gave me feedback- give more statistical data 

-Talk more about the comparisons and experiments

Day 25 :Feb 16-19 (final) 

I begun building my project and preparing it But I notice some growth in Jr and took relevant pictures 

As we see, both types of popular algae have their pros and cons which makes it difficult for me to choose. Personally, I tend to value the usefulness over the cost as the cost can be reduced but the usefulness cant.  As we see, macroalgae, though it's a promising factor due to its carb content, easier harvest rate, cost and carbon filtering properties, in the end its would be less useful as bioethanol isn't the best source of biofuel, compared to biodiesel provided by the micro algae. Microalgae, on the other hand, has a much substantial lipid content, similar carbon filtering as well as more uses than macro. This is why, in the end, I would choose the microalgae as a better source of biofuel, though we would need to overcome some factors, such as a faster harvesting method and  reduced cost.

 

In conclusion, even though there are certain difficulties, 

• Algae biofuels is a fantastic substitute for fossil fuels. As demonstrated, algae not only grows quickly but also contains lipids and carbohydrates and can be grown in a variety of ways.   A more sustainable ecosystem is the result of all these variables combined. 
• As I mentioned in my hypothesis, I thought algae would be a good substitute, though having a few drawbacks. This is accurate because it is costly to cultivate and extract oil from algae on a bigger scale, and it does damage some natural areas for competition. However, if these obstacles are removed, I believe algae will play a major role in powering our society in the future. 
• Now,comparing the two types of popular algae, I find that microalgae is the superior algae since it produces biodiesel, a fuel that is much versatile in running automobiles, factories and even electricity. I did predict that macroalgae would be superior to microalgae in my hypothesis because I assumed that because it is larger, it has more contents. Nonetheless, I find this to be untrue because, despite its larger size, it has a much lower lipid content, which means that the biofuel it produces would be far less useful than that of microalgae.

 

 

Algal biofuels offer a cleaner solution to global energy and environmental matters. By utilizing the power of its fats and lipids, algae can efficiently convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into usable biomass, which can be converted into various biofuels like biodiesel and bioethanol. Their capacity to grow in different environments, filter carbon dioxide, and utilize resources like wastewater makes them highly sustainable. With their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create new job opportunities, and help change the issue of fluctuating gas prices, algal biofuels stand as a promising alternative. toward a cleaner, more vibrant future.

 

- the algal vials that I have used may not be of the highest quality because a real starter kit was 200 so I opted for a cheaper option

- instead of regular nutrient powder, I used salt which can work as an alternative my may not have as many benefits 

- I have not monitored the experiment for more than 10 days because deadlines were approaching and I decided to focus more on the research components

 

 

ttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3152439/

 

https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Algae_biofuel

 

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/climatetech-finance/stop-trying-to-make-algae-biofuels-happen

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change#:~:text=Causes%20of%20Climate%20Change&text=Generating%20electricity%20and%20heat%20by,and%20trap%20the%20sun's%20heat.

 

https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/start

https://microbialcellfactories.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12934-018-0879-x

https://www.oilgae.com/ref/glos/transesterification.html

https://www.calgary.ca/environment/climate/net-zero-by-2050.html#:~:text=The%20City%20of%20Calgary%20has,zero%20GHG%20emissions%20by%202050.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFpTJ5SkTdo

https://csfjournal.com/volume-5-issue-1/2022/9/29/algae-the-future-of-biofuel

https://www.nrel.gov/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3152439/

 

My parents for acknowledging my efforts to reserach on this topic .

My mentor Mr Rip who guided me in every stage of the project with my failures and success.

Mr Klaussen and parents council for motivating us .