Gov't to promote algae as biofuel source

MANILA, Philippines – The government is looking at a new technology for developing alternative fuel, this time using algae locally known as “lumot,” a Filipino scientist said yesterday.

Dr. Maria Natalia Dimaano, Professor I at the University of Santo Tomas’ Faculty of Engineering, said the state-run Philippine National Oil Co.-Alternative Fuels Corp. (PNOC-AFC) will start promoting algae as a source of biodiesel next year.

“No less than the PNOC Alternative Fuels Corp. is introducing the use of biodiesel from algae next year in collaboration with a US-based firm engaged in algae technology,” Dimaano said during a roundtable discussion on basic research for national development at the Traders Hotel in Pasay City.

Dimaano said a group of Filipino scientists has been conducting extensive research on the use of algae as feedstock for biodiesel.

The government has been promoting the use of biofuels amid the soaring prices of petroleum products in the world market.

“The algae are grown with sunlight, water and carbon-carrying emissions from power plants. Algae are harvested and turned into biodiesel fuel,” Dimaano explained. “The algae growth rates increase in the presence of the carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere.”

“If we are to compare the oil yield produced from the different plant materials, microalgae provide the largest amount,” she said.

A group of researchers from the Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of Environmental Science had started studying the potential of algae as source of kerogen, a type of oil.

The researchers, led by Professor Teresita Perez, earlier said algal oil, as alternative biodiesel, is not really new among energy scientists, adding Israel has been doing work on tapping algae to produce biodiesel.

Meanwhile, Dimaano noted that the use of large-scale cropping could lead to biodiversity loss, soil erosion and nutrient leaching, thus efforts to replace grasslands and wild forests must be taken.

“An alternative solution here is to resort to non-edible seed oils and plants instead of edible oils. We must have a pool of potential alternative oil sources that may also help prevent the problem of monoculturation,” Dimaano said.

Dimaano said supporting the development of dedicated crops for the biomass energy industry is a great move to ease the importation of crude oil and eventually enhance the agricultural and aquacultural competence of the country and sustain the supply of fuel that the country will need in the future. –Helen Flores