How Algae Could Change The Fossil Fuel Industry

Watch the next video to learn more about the science of algae fuel: • We Can Power The World...
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Great strides have been made in recent years towards using renewable sources of energy, like electric vehicles, solar panels, wind energy and even algae. It might seem surprising, but algae is one of the most powerful sources of energy we have access to on Earth. When dried algae is ground into a powder and refined, oil can be extracted from it. The result is nearly identical to traditional gasoline, but with far more benefits.
Dave Hazlebeck, CEO of Global Algae Innovations, gave Seeker a tour of his algae farm in Kauai, Hawaii, and explained how his company is revolutionizing sustainable energy. "The fuel that we're producing is exactly the same in terms of performance as gasoline or diesel or jet, it's just a lot cleaner. I think the big difference is that [with] all the other biofuels, you're growing it and you're just getting biofuel. In this case, for every gallon of biofuel you get 10 pounds of food with it," Hazlebeck said.
Hazlebeck believes his company is on the path to completely change the way we currently produce both oil and food. Not only can algae create biofuel, it can also be used to create animal feed. Currently, most animal and fish feed is made from corn or soy, which both use more water and energy to grow than algae.
"There's studies that show with algae grown to replace animal feed, you could actually solve global warming to a large extent," Hazlebeck told Seeker.
Algae can be used to create food for humans as well. New Wave Foods in Northern California created fake shrimp made from algae and other plants that actually looks, smells and even tastes like real shrimp. Because it's made from algae, the shrimp substitute also has the added benefit of being low in fat and extremely rich in nutrients, something that corn and soy are severely lacking.
Growing algae for oil and food could also significantly reduce deforestation. According to Scientific American, the yields from algae are far more significant than crops like corn or soy. If all the fuel in the country was replaced with biofuel from corn, we would need a facility three times the size of the continental U.S. to produce it. But for algae, we would need a facility the size of Maryland. Additionally, algae can produce 40 times more food per acre than traditional crops.
While showing the Seeker team around GAI's Hawaii facility, Hazlebeck explained that the algae farm is next to a power plant, which puts it in a very unique position. "[It] allows us to capture carbon dioxide and avoid that discharge and reuse it, and that prevents it from going into the atmosphere and causing global warming," he said. "If every power plant had an algae farm next to it, it could potentially solve the global warming issue entirely."
The environmental benefits of algae are impressive, and because algae can grow in both freshwater and seawater, it's also very easy to produce. So, does that mean we'll all be filling our cars with algae gas at the pumps very soon?
Not just yet. Hazlebeck and his team have run into a few setbacks since they began scaling up their operations. The most prohibitive issue has been the cost.
When Global Algae Innovations began, a gallon of oil produced from algae was about $30 a gallon -- 10 times higher than it needs to be to work as a viable alternative to fossil fuel. But Hazlebeck and his team didn't give up, and they've continued to come up with solutions to decrease the cost. As of now, they almost have algae oil down to only $2 - $3 a gallon.
Once GAI can get their algae production up to scale, Hazlebeck believes it will change the geopolitics of the world. "A lot of the reasons we have wars are because of fights over resources or the need for more resources. By creating a more equitable distribution with countries being able to make their own, it should lead to a more stable and peaceful world," he told Seeker.
That's really the point of it all for Hazlebeck and GAI. They don't want to be the only company doing this; they want everyone working together because they truly believe using algae as a fuel and food source will change the world.
Executive Producer: Laura Ling
Producers: Paige Keipper (Hansen), Conor Spicer
Cinematographers: Matthew Piniol Spencer Snider
Editor: Lee Mould

[@TheGaijinGamersPlay]

hope this becomes more successful

[@Juber777]

It'll be bought or he'll have an "accident" while working..

[@kwabenatree]

it needs more testing ..

[@TSN4152]

I'm with ya

[@redd-qh4xn]

I bet

[@Jaymac720]

gblueslover2 filling up takes 5 minutes while you’re running errands. Charging takes up to an hour even at the fastest charge stations. Not terribly convenient if you drive long distances at a time. Also, this bio fuel could end up being pretty damn cheap. Fuel refining is a very cheap process. The prices breaks down to oil cost, refining, shipping and dispensing, ad recuperation, and taxes. This bio fuel is renewable, can be produced locally, and will likely have lower taxes for lower emissions. On top of that buying a new EV is both more expensive and much dirtier than keeping an existing ICE running. EVs only truly shine for people who can actually recharge overnight, ie short/mostly in town commutes. ICEs are much better for highway and long distance drivers.

[@johnlemus7921]

This is something I could actually get behind and actually see being done in the future. I live in Florida, Most of our Power Plants are by bodies of fresh or salt water. This would bring an end to the subsidization of food products like corn and sugar for ethanol.

[@baron8107]

Corn is love. Corn is life.

[@priscillajimenez27]

It would be helpful in FL since we gotta drive everywhere

[@joelanderson_t]

Florida could see successful investments. I hope for the same here in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

[@crazygood150]

The world runs on diesel, not gas. Trains, farm equipment, trucks, construction equipment, ships. This could be huge in keeping the world economy going when oil production slows.

[@TheAnnoyingBoss]

We need synthetics made from abundant sources that are chemically identical so you can mix it right into the real stuff and none of them machines know the difference. That way my car can just have 91 octane and the crude oil tanker ship I invest in can still make a ton of money whether it's pumping the real deal or the real deal just made in a factory. We should have to worry about if the fuel pumps are going to run out or be too expensive while the government tries to groom you to buy an electric car so they dig up another few square miles of the earth looking for lithium. I'm going to look into lithium structure.

[@BISHAL9100]

being a petroleum engineer it could be nightmare but being a human it is wonderful government must support it

[@thewallstreetjournal5675]

I'm sure plenty of chemists are needed to developed this. I'm almost certain that the best plastics yet to be discovered are plant based.

[@BAlvn-yr6ej]

If you have the skills and education to do that work, you should have no problem finding a similar job in another form of chemical engineering with very little training, no? I wouldn't worry about that too much...engineers will never be abundant in the world...it is just way too hard for 99% of the population to get through those calculus and physics classes!!

[@todoldtrafford]

Or you be refining bio-crude oil

[@TheAnnoyingBoss]

Figuring out how to make this stuff we pump up from the bowels of the earth on the surface in large amounts would be nice bro. Imagine the cost of fueling things becomes not even a concern.

[@deanfowles3707]

The government won't though because the government are owned by the fossil fuel industry

[@YurimoHikashi]

We've known about this for a while but it's always great creating more videos to educate more people!

[@sassasdfghjkl]

if this was made available at any gas station I would totally buy it over regular fuel

[@aperson4933]

Same! And it would probably be cheaper then normal crude oil based gasoline!

[@DeanTheDoctor]

Self empowering also 😊

[@theofficialparasram8782]

It's at ExxonMobil.

[@ILikeMyPrivacytbt]

at $2-$3 a gallon it's already cheaper than gas at Washington State in the U.S. Why isn't it at my gas station?

[@TheAnnoyingBoss]

Bro we're not going to have a choice. They already spike straight ethanol made from corn into most of the gas for sale. The issue is that seems like a weird way to do it when you could take the corn and mix it with other stuff and try to make A chemically identical man made oil, fuel ect. If you could make a molecule that was molecularly identical to the hydrocarbons used to make our fuels in refining, you could just mix it right in with the real stuff pumped out of the bowels of the earth and none of the oil tankers or motor cars would be able to tell the difference. Problem is, it takes a crap load of energy to do that.

[@L.V.T234]

Not all hero's wear capes ..

[@MeetThaNewDealer]

Only science could save us.

[@thunderpooch]

Ironically, science is also why we're in such a predicament. The stone age and the hunter/gathers were sustainable. Fossil fuels, Haber-Bosch, and the overproduction inherent in capitalism is not.

[@zelongxiong5078]

it is what we need to do to sustain more population bro.

[@rhodesianwojak2095]

.

[@Bo12346hhgfgdg]

@@thunderpooch so youre saying capitalism is the problem? lol. wow, your a special kind of person....

[@thunderpooch]

@@Bo12346hhgfgdg Capitalism would be fine by me if externalaties didn't exist, but they do. I'd even be forgiving of capitalism if the externalities would reliably show up on the corporate balance sheet as an expense, clearly they don't. Pollution/habitat destruction-- the resulting poor health outcomes, dislocations of those with family farms/small fishing operations, or those who simply live off the land, are all scenarios and costs beared by the general public. Rarely are corporations required to compensate individuals and communities even approximating a level of fairness. We all hear about the rare $100 million settlements, but that's after many have already died or been financially ruined. Corporate boards need more transparency and worker representation. A corporation shouldn't be structured in a way which is secretive and at odds with their workers, the communities they operate in, or to the environment. All this plastic crap and overproduction of non organic chemicals and the burning of both waste and fossil fuels is affecting all of us. I don't take endocrine disruptors, cancer, respitory illnesses, or global habitat destruction lightly. What quality of life has really been achieved by a comfortable life with a bunch of gadgets and toys, if you're body and brain have been diminished?

[@20teamplayer]

Genetically engineer a new type of algae that is more suitable to the farming process and make a type for each climate. CRISPR should be capable of such a feat.

[@jetaddict420]

the issue is finding the necessary genes i think

[@hansolo4017]

you could use CRISPR for that

[@Lemonz1989]

You can't just genetically engineer stuff willy nilly. You have to be careful of what you are releasing into the wild. Normally when something microscopic is genetically engineered it's kept in tanks or some other container.

[@jetaddict420]

Lemonz1989 what if it uses that tank to wage war with other organisms

[@20teamplayer]

Lemonz1989 Agreed. And for the record, I'm an engineer, not a geneticist. I don't really know what it takes to alter an organisms, just what I've seen on KZbin. That said, the modified algae would be in containers. That and you could seal the tops with transparent plastic to seal the moisture inside. Assuming the algae thrive in warm humid environments, you could use cheap desert land to set up large scale facilities.

[@elfridah]

Amazing effort! I hope this project is successful and can be used all over the world! ❤

[@psychedelicdreamer986]

I love this! Positive innovation! And as a spirulina user I was already fine with algae anyway. :D Negative people should remember that if you would have talked to someone 30 years ago, and told them we'd all be walking around with our own little portable computers, that allow us to use a global network, look up all the information in it and watch videos online, there would have been many people who would have thought it was a crazy idea. Progress often goes faster than people expect, once the momentum is there, the train is on the track and it will steadily keep moving. So stay positive and all try to do your part to help the environment.

[@carolynchason-cloudrealest6470]

Phenomenal opportunity! Great VID. Thanks so much!

[@Navesblue]

I'm including this company in a presentation project to present to my state's legislator in order to help expand its reach, or at the very least increase awareness of it in order to help advance its global affect with other green-solution companies trying to combat the world's mounting problems. If you want to help accelerate such causes, then I recommend that you do the same thing. Call up your representatives and bring this to their attention. It's a very simple baby step that you can take to have a real change in the world.

[@davehazlebeck7457]

Great idea. check out www.globalgae.com for the latest information

[@tobiasrud]

Get Elon Musk to fund this

[@FlushF00T]

Tobias Ruddi if "gas cars" were suddenly less polluting might one of his companies suddenly not do so well?

[@Fr00stee]

FlushF00T why not invest in this? It will be about as good as electric cars

[@darknecropsy]

FlushF00T I think he's above that, he actually cares about saving the planet rather than making a profit

[@TagS883]

Elon need more fuel to make his plan come true ;)

[@hartantohartanto3460]

Well,still electric cars is more silent and easy to controll so this could be an alternate car:either you want silent slightly better more exspensive car or the cheap one FlushF00T

[@cubeeffect5612]

Past: Abuse the planet Future: Clean the planet with our tech,

[@moorbene5104]

I cannot describe how much i love this idea. For me this man is a true legend he innovates well and theres more than profit behind this idea.

[@aBrightDarknessHD]

"It's too important for it not to happen" Too right. Somebody call up Elon Musk and tell him to start some martian Algae.

[@DanielDaniel-xt3jh]

I've been talking about this stuff for years. It can also be used for pre-existing vehicle and purify human waste!

[@AlcidesSegovia]

wow. I just became a fan of this organization

[@isaacsivapon6111]

We really need this now

[@jakekaywell5972]

I would absolutely support this over Tesla, as I could still drive my Studebaker with little fuss!

[@nightSkyacc]

Tesla uses electrisety which is made by coal so its same as fuel

[@ImKittyCow]

automotives dont have to be dependent on fossil fuels! This video shows how we can make biodiesel, this could power all of our semi-trucks and industrial transportation, and with the common day citizen who doesnt drive a diesel truck, we have ethanol! Not only can we create cars that wont be dependent on a depleting resource, but fuels like e85 are actually higher octane then generic gasoline meaning that users can see performance benefits too!

[@aaronmiller5012]

Doesn't E85 have some blends with petroleum gasoline?

[@sumgai7]

Algae can actually also be used to make butanol, a different alcohol which is a near-substitute for gasoline or (more likely) can be blended with gasoline/petrol like ethanol (EtOH) is, only it's a FAR better choice than EtOH in many, many ways. It doesn't harm the plastics & rubber parts of a car engine, it doesn't increase pollution/emissions, it only slightly decreases mileage (but actually has similar power). And it can be blended in much higher percentages (or, again, be used almost nearly straight in an unmodified auto engine).

[@Mohammad44471]

Great content! you inspired me, Subscribed!

[@TwoRavensMinis]

I so want to work with these people in the future! What you're doing is going to change the world! I love you guys! :D

[@MrMarshallAC]

Kudos to the company and the team.

[@christineloggie4785]

One of the many reasons I love this channel

[@CasualGuy60]

Hats off to the creator and people of this company, we definitely need this asap Sad that the cost is a limiting factor /:

[@JatPhenshllem]

:/

[@TheComicChild]

4 to 15 times more expensive to produce than diesel & one ten THOUSANTH of the fuel volume used everyday in the usa

[@iolani615]

This is awesome! Way to go Global Algae Innovations for leading the way!!!

[@muhammadnajmimurindo9289]

Well , one of the products of Algae Biofuel that i liked is called "Biogasoline" . Which can be used in ICE cars without Flex Engine / Special Engine ......

[@vertoxico8943]

Tho only problem with Biofuels and current engines is that they're solvents, which means they can shrink/destroy rubber hoses, if you're going to use pure Biogasoline, you'd need to replace rubber hoses with something that doesn't get destroyed by it.

[@dapp5574]

I love this man

[@Wonderful_Productions]

Amazing story, this made my day!

[@FeliciaFollum]

this is cool. thanks

[@alanmakoso1115]

Excellent! I actually plan on researching deeper into this in university. From a biology perspective (e.g. how to cultivate it so it demands less water)

[@jozsinusa]

Please someone fund this!

[@robm2681]

Exxon Mobil is actually funding this.

[@jakekaywell5972]

@@robm2681 FANTASTIC!

[@CherryBlossomskt]

awesome video

[@hilaryh9410]

I hope that you guys can accomplish this mission!!! A world where everyone can see our beautiful blue sky and not worry about getting cancer, would be amazing!♡♡♡ :)

[@bornjusticerule5764]

this is great.

[@celticcc3658]

Good work. Whatever gets us away from oil is a positive step

[@TheAnnoyingBoss]

You will never see us get away from oil bro. Oils run the world. We're going to develop oil identical to what we pump out of the ground. I cook my food on a type of oil made from a seed. They even used it as a lube for mechanical things at one point. We're going to take micro nuclear powerplants to power some electrolysis so we can seperate ocean water into hydrogen and oxygen. Spaceships need oxygen because their is no air in space ECT. You can't just suck all the oxygen we breathe out of the air, so there is a demand for oxygen. Anyway, then we're going to mix the hydrogen and some carbon together to make synthetic gas that is chemically identical to the real premo organic matter we pump from deep underground. So we can produce more than we pump up and chop cost of fuel by order of magnitude and then we don't have to spike ethanol right into the gas which vehicles don't like. There's better things we can do with the corn or the ethanol tbh. I don't like hydrogen bombs driving around man! We could use the hydrogen and make real liquid gasoline if we get enough geniuses together

[@volkrov]

So cool!! :D

[@cmb6062]

very interesting

[@botabonk1253]

I'm using this for my social studies! Thx

[@botabonk1253]

Who is the guy talking in the video?

[@Enki1013]

Awesome!

[@KvaGram]

humm.. so if algae farming is so compact, could we compact it even more by farming it vertically in tall buildings?

[@XxBloopGirl]

KvaGram they need a good amount of sunlight and carbon so putting it in a building isn't that good.

[@KvaGram]

While it is true they need good access to sunlight and carbon, can that not be accessed in a building designed for vertical farming? The farm featured was built next to a power plant. Now how do you think they get the carbon from the plant, and into the plants (just to use a pun)? Putting the carbon in the air first would be inefficient, so it is likely pumped though pipes to the farm. If they are already doing that, they they could do the same for a vertical farm. Now that leaves only sunlight. Could not the algae get the sunlight in a vertical farm though careful building design that maximizes sunlight per floor and/or artificial lighting?

[@XxBloopGirl]

I feel like its a great idea you have going but from a business perspective, I don't think people are willing to put the time and money to design such a thing and have to keep it constantly regulated. Why do that when you can build a cheaper lane of open algae (remember they have to meet certain conditions to do what the makers want) and help the carbon pollution that's already out in the air.

[@KvaGram]

True. It would require someone willing to spend the required money, knowing they would not get any good returns for it in a long time - if ever. It would take a billionaire who cares for the environment. Luckily, there are a few billionaires who at the least claim to care about the environment.

[@XxBloopGirl]

Meh, if they're billionaires they probably wouldn't care about anything more than making some money. There are some exceptions but yeah..

[@VILK1N]

Thanks!!

[@curtisgrantham2392]

what if we could pump sea water into the desert, we could build algae rivers and lakes. and there would be lots of evaporated fresh water in the atmosphere. you could go huge to start with.

[@ZarrinV]

Why isn’t this a more prominent news item on nightly discussions of global warming, hunger, need for fuel, economics etc? This should be tag teaming with solar and wind and hydro electric to clean this planet up!

[@lautarohunzicker]

Another amazing story that need to be shared. I think it would help a lot if it had subtitles, for the non English speakers. ´Would gladly help to make the Spanish subtitle, and also german! Cheers and keep the good work.

[@ladyairam3171]

This is a genius idea

[@alex1982ander]

you deserve to win a nobel peace prize

[@-joebese-]

Where is the music from? it's super catchy

[@kvdrecke]

Anyone know some companies that invest/research/develop algae that are on the stockmarket? Thanks in advance.

[@nightrunner1456]

VERY SMART!

[@SenorPescadorJohnson]

EXCELENTE

[@DaManBearPig]

Guys like this are doing Gods work

[@fabufisch]

thats a very nice ad

[@nightSkyacc]

My chemistry teacher linked me this

[@averagejoe413]

any updates of this technology?

[@treakyidea715]

i really hope one day we all stop to fight and start to share

[@josiahortiz5416]

Can this be used for agricultural fertilizer?

[@ClockMaster_3100]

Hopefully this can replace the dirty oil we are currently stuck with

[@ZeljkoSerdar]

This is one of the first teams in the world to go all the way from designing sustainable biofuel feedstocks in outdoor ponds, to refining fuel so that it runs a diesel engine in a cleaner, more environmentally friendly way.

[@lynnetuff1322]

Another idea that could work @ least these people are doing something to help the problem instead of just throwing money @ the problem.

[@hilaryjaynes]

Hi it's Austin from school 👋

[@IzaakCha7]

My dad was doing this stuff a few years ago with Ocean Nutrition

[@NotSmartGuy]

Music links?

[@DrummerLittleBrother]

Awesome! Why not use this for aviation? Would be perfect

[@keithychoi3677]

i badly wanna work with this company T_T i've been researching algae for about 3 years and this is exactly what i'm looking for

[@JennySimon206]

I love it! I drink live blue green algae every day. its called E 3 Live

[@coryrandolph5986]

the world is SAVED

[@azzyfreeman]

Wow man I want to start a algae farm...

[@paulferrer3578]

I wish that big oil companies dont be bias to this man brialliant idea

[@BritonAD]

This may sound dumb but how many BTU's of energy does is take for every BTU produced?

[@chrisshepherd4228]

Are they using hexane to extract the lipids?

[@sweeyong7756]

any particular species of algae for making biofuel?

[@justinaugustine7234]

Most likely they will bio engineer it in a lab to make it the most efficient crude oil producing algae

[@mattjohnson8902]

BIG OIL companies would hate this guy!!

[@TimeSurfer206]

I am about to embark upon an experiment in the destructive distillation of wood. I shall try to grow enough algae to do a batch, and see what I can get.

[@rizkyfattaah3725]

title of BGM please, or music theme similiar like this please

[@kear]

it looks like a good snack Dx

[@africanmoongoddess6001]

Looks like a a green smoothie instead of oil lol

[@htcooley04]

So much for Midwest American farmers

[@Kalidaskumar]

CNTMN LAC AND ORGANIC INDUSTRY PRIVATE LIMITED is a manufacturer of high quality shellac products which is used to make polish materials for wooden furniture and the confectionery glazing coating and electrical insulator burnish. We encourage cultivator to cultivate lac more and more. Lac is a rasinus secretion of tree triggered by insect. Lac will also be an alternative fuels for future.

[@marcosmaldonado4648]

What can we do to get this at gas stations

[@robinhyperlord9053]

What is the litre-KW concersation?

[@tiger355]

I read DARPA helped with some of the previous research costs.

[@kreigthepsycho]

I can already hear the oil tycoons plotting to destroy this

[@marcorodvas]

i'm glad he talked a little about the harmful animal agriculture

[@Skoda130]

Nice that this is on a channel called "stories", since that's what algae fuels will remain. It hes been researched and investigated for decades, yet they still haven't reached a positive energy balance.

[@robcocco8648]

So can we get an update?? This video is 6 years old. Have they scaled? Did they go out of business?

[@alekseybenitez7453]

This algae farming caught the eye of a chemist in the Philippines. So he established an events place (for leadership training and stuff) in the Pangasinan province. He's starting out small but I think it's great that he knows this idea.

[@kuyaleinad4195]

Aleksey Benitez Any sources? I'm an aspiring chemist and I'm actually from Pangasinan :D It would be great if I could keep an eye on them and probably help them in the near future :D Hopefully, I get a Chemistry degree in 5 years XD

[@alekseybenitez7453]

Wala po akong credible sources Haha but based sa the fact na may ganitong video, naniniwala na ako na posible siya. Maybe exaggerated lang siyang pnresent sa pinuntahan namin. Btw, Geo Farm name niya sa Brgy. Mangayao, Bayambang, Pangasinan Good luck on your journey!

[@JD-tp8zt]

algae fueled cars, imagine

[@haerulrizalpunya]

how about using used motor oil as heating fuel to produce the algae oil?

[@Vospader21]

How much longer until this hits the market?

[@NabiL_Lam]

4 years later we didn't see anything yet

[@success7secrets989]

Good

[@Kenuptn]

i think we need some freedom in this algae field

[@Elandil5]

There is still HOPE.

[@Klaus-Schwab_Dictator]

Does it produces more energy than it takes to produce biodiesel ?

[@RoScFan]

The background music isnt loud enough. Make it louder, i can still understand some of the guy s words . Turn this into a full on music video. That s the point of this video isnt it?

[@marcosmaldonado4648]

Is this fuel available anywhere yet?

[@RB87NL]

Regular diesel sells at €1,80 a liter here in Europe! Keep cutting the production cost and you will eventually make a profit from it.