C02 and Algae: Environmental Benefits of “Green Crude”
Current annual coal production indicates that the US coal reserves equate to 240 years of supply. Despite being cheap and abundant in the US, the resultant CO2 emissions from coal combustion have environmental consequences. To avoid the environmental consequences, algae can be utilized to consume the emitted CO2 and produce transportation fuel, thereby beneficially reusing the resultant CO2 emissions to produce oil and leaving the crude oil below ground. This beneficial reuse of CO2 results in a net reduction of CO2 emitted per MJ of energy used when compared to today’s fossil fuel consumption practices.
Source: http://www.npc.org/Study_Topic_Papers/1-DTG-Coal_Impact.pdf; EIA AEO 2006 Early Release, http://www.nma.org/pdf/c_most_requested.pdf; http://www.worldenergy.org/publications/survey_of_energy_resources_2007/coal/627.asp; Draft values from California Air Resources Board; Life Cycle Associates, LLC
