Seaweed offers kelping hand for biofuels.
BusinessGreen, July 5, 2011.
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2083905/seaweed-offers-kelping-hand-biofuels

"Scientists say that developing biofuels from seaweed could provide not
only an alternative low-carbon energy source, but also go some way to
solving the problems of food and fuel crops competing for agricultural
land.

The EU currently has a target to increase the share of biofuels used in
transport fuel to 10 per cent by 2020, although green groups have long
claimed that biofuels drive food prices up, result in deforestation and
can even increase carbon emissions.

However, marine ecosystems account for more than half of global biomass
and are relatively untapped, potentially offering a solution to the
conflict, say researchers at Aberystwyth University. They add that
seaweeds are capable of producing more biomass per square metre than
fast-growing terrestrial plants such as sugar cane.

Kelp in particular is ideal for biofuel use as it can be converted easily
through fermentation, also known as anaerobic digestion, to produce
ethanol and methane, or pyrolysis, a method of heating the fuel without
oxygen that produces bio-oil.

Studies at Aberystwyth University show that the suitability of kelp varies
with the seasons. Harvesting the kelp in July, when carbohydrate levels
are at their highest, would ensure optimal sugar release for biofuel
production."


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