Algae eyed as next biofuel source in RP by '08
Roxas City – After sugarcane, coconut, jatropha, cassava and sweet sorghum, here comes algae.
The PNOC Alternative Fuels Corp. may introduce the use of biodiesel from algae next year, saying it is about to enter talks with a US-based firm engaged in algae technology on how to derive and market biodiesel from algae.
PNOC-AFC president and CEO Peter Anthony A. Abaya on Wednesday said the company would be talking middle of next month with the firm. He declined to name the US firm.
The US ecotechnology company, he said, is rapidly becoming an industry leader in the renewable energy market and is pioneering the algae-to-biofuel technology.
“We are not only looking at jatropha as a potential source of biodiesel but we are also working at the science of deriving biodiesel from algae," Abaya said.
Abaya said the development and eventual commercialization of biofuels from algae is part of PNOC-AFC’s medium-term plan.
According to Abaya, the US-based firm it will be discussing with has a technology that mass produces algae from which the primary vegetable oil product is extracted. The oil is then refined into a cost-effective, non-polluting diesel biofuel.
The algae-derived fuel, Abaya said, will be an energy efficient replacement for fossil fuels and can be used in any diesel powered vehicle or machinery. The secondary algae byproduct can be utilized in animal feed or agricultural fertilizer.
“The simplicity and speed of the algae’s reproduction are key to its success as a biofuel source. Using the natural process of photosynthesis, maximum exposure to sunlight and the effective absorption of carbon dioxide lead to the algae reproducing rapidly. Traditional ponds have limitations. Once algae covers the surface, sunlight ceases to penetrate towards the lower levels of the pond, hampering growth," he said.
Abaya said algae is cost-effective, renewable, and space efficient. It also makes a significant contribution to the environment as it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the primary component of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.
In addition to improving the health of the planet, the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere can generate marketable Carbon Emission Reduction (CER) credits in Kyoto Protocol signatory countries which the Philippines is a signatory, turning emission reductions into financial assets.
“We are seeing technologies that are pushing the possibility frontier of biofuel production further out with higher volumes and lower costs. The next few years looks very exciting for the industry. We see more opportunities for employment, more opportunities to improve the well-being of our people while nurturing our natural resources and the ecosystems we live in," Abaya said.
The government has pushed the development of alternative energy sources starting with sugarcane, coconut, jatropha, cassava, sweet sorghum, biomass, wind, water and solar power in its effort to reduce the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuel which has cost the country substantial amounts of dollars over decades.
President Arroyo signed into law in January this year the Biofuels Act of 2006 to steep up the government program on the development and utilization of indigenous fuel sources that are renewable and abound in the country.
In Capiz, about 400 homes in the remote mountain barangays of Tapaz and Jamindan towns that cannot be reached by the existing power grid derive energy from the sun using solar panels to light up their homes and operate basic appliances.
The local solar power project is a joint endeavor of the Department of Energy, KEPCO, Office of Congressman Fredenil Castro, municipal governments of Tapaz and Jamindan, and Capiz Electric Cooperative with the support of the provincial government.
Solar power has also been adopted in similar situated communities in the country. (PIA)