Italian Slime

Algae

The green sludge that has clung to docks, boats and buildings throughout the old city of Venice, Italy is slowly becoming a saving grace instead of a nuisance.

Recently the city of Venice announced a 200 million euro project to build the first algae-fueled power plant.

“The algae will be cultivated in laboratories and put in plastic cylinders where water, carbon dioxide, and sunshine can trigger photosynthesis. The resulting biomass will be treated further to produce a fuel to turn turbines. The carbon dioxide produced in the process will be fed back to the algae, resulting in zero emissions from the plant.”

Algae into Fuel

Rate My Biofuel

United States:
Switchgrass

• Produces cellulosic ethanol
• Grows quickly across much of the U.S.
• Survives during the winter, which reduces soil erosion
• Is not a food crop

Switchgrass

Soybeans

• Produces oil used as diesel fuel
• Oil must be refined before put into an engine
• Is a food source

Soybeans

Corn

• Produces grain-based ethanol, but must burn fossil fuels to ferment
• Source of 97 percent of ethanol in U.S.
• Is a food crop

Corn

Brazil:
Sugar Cane

• Produces sugar-based ethanol
• Brazil is the leading producer in sugar cane ethanol
• No cars in Brazil run on pure gasoline because it all contains some ethanol
• Is a food crop

Sugar Cane

Europe:
Sugar Beet

• Produces sugar-based ethanol
• Is seven times more efficient to run a car off sugar than corn
• Is a food crop

Sugar Beet

Wheat

• Produced grain-based ethanol
• Contains more fiber than corn and is harder to break down, which may increase the capital cost of a wheat ethanol facility
• Is a food crop

Wheat

China:
Cassava

• Produces sugar-based ethanol
• In the 1990′s, famine spread across Uganda because the cassava crops were diseased
• Is a food crop

Cassava

Sorghum

• Produces a sugar-based ethanol
• Drought resistant
• Is a food crop

Sorghum

Southeast Asia:
Miscanthus

• Produces cellulosic ethanol
• The amount of CO2 released when burned is equal to the the amount of CO2 absorbed by the grass
• Is not a food crop

Miscanthus

Oil Palm

• Produces ethanol from sap
• Produces biodiesel from oil
• Can lead to deforestation, which would increase greenhouse gases
• Is not a food crop

Palm

India:
Jathropa

• Produces oil that is used as fuel in diesel engines
• Oil needs little refining before it is used as fuel
• Seeds contain 37 percent oil
• The plant is drought resistant
• Is not a food source

Jathropha

Learn more about: switchgrass, soybeans, corn, sugar cane, sugar beet, wheat, cassava, sorghum, miscanthus, palm oil and jatropha.