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Can oil produced by algae save the planet?

In our green real estate section we usually try to focus on environmentally friendly advice for our homes. However, this time it will be about some interesting research, which can help us to get rid of the feelings of guilt connected with driving our gas guzzling cars. Our daily routine has many important parts and oil is usually one of them. Almost everyone in the developed world has a car, which is a necessary part of everyday life, and so do I, as most of the realtors who have to drive around their neighbourhoods on a daily basis. Life would just be difficult without our beloved car. Unfortunately, we all know the two basic problems related to driving: unsound oil supplies driving prices up and down and the environmental harm caused by fuel burning and the related carbon dioxide emissions.

The Institute for Genomic Research was started off by Craig Venter, an American biologist and a successful enterpreneur. He predominantly deals with genetic engineering and his newest project has aroused a great deal of heated debate.

Some experiments have already been working with biofuels, some of them also with natural oil produced by algae. But Craig Venter is ready to explore more than that. He is trying to explore if it’s possible to modify the genomic make-up of algae in order to make them produce oil of almost the same composition as the traditional crude oil. This option is so much better, as you can use current oil industry infrastructure like refineries, and even produce plastics in the same way as from crude oil refining employing the same production plants that are presently being used. It doesn’t shock us that one of the companies producing the most oil on the planet, Exxon Mobile, donated $600 million for Ventor to go on with his research.

Now your question might be, where is the environmental benefit? Well, right here. The oil produced by algae could well contribute to coping with one of the most serious problems of our world. Plants use the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, use it in a photosynthesis process to create the oil and then the oil is burned and turned into oxalates. Of Course, we can’t suppose this miracle solution to be available this year or next, but science indicates us there is always some way we can try, and Craig Venter and his team have a very good chance of succeeding where others have tried and failed. There are many people in Canada and elsewhere that want to protect the environment, but due to their occupation, it is very difficult for them to stop using cars, just like so many of my fellow Toronto real estate agents can’t.

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