Pond Scum
Algae...Pond scum... Could this be the next truly sustainable low
cost source of protein? In the 80s and
90s there were programs funded by the U.S. government to research the potential
for algae to be used as a bio-fuel but unfortunately it was determined that
algae based bio-fuels could not compete against fossil fuels as low cost. With the rise of oil prices in recent years
though there has been a push for alternative fuels. Unfortunately algae strictly as a bio-fuel
still might not be cost competitive with fossil fuels. Because of this there have been pushes by
companies to find other marketable uses for algae. Surprise – it has a very promising potential
not only as a fuel source but also as food for both humans and animals! Algae are capable of being cultivated in all
kinds of ponds, and require only sunlight and seawater to grow. As a grown protein source, it is
approximately 30 times more productive than soy and 50 times more productive
than corn but can be grown on as little as 1 percent fresh water. Another huge advantage to algae is that it
has surprisingly much higher protein content.
Besides being used as an outright protein source for humans, using algae
derived feed as a substitute for corn or soybean based livestock feed has the
added value of not only being cheaper, but also being able to free up the crop
land that was previously being used to produce corn or soy for livestock
feed. This in turn allows that reclaimed
land to be used for crops intended to feed humans instead of animals. So the advantages of growing algae are: potentially cheaper source of fuel, cheaper
source of protein for humans, cheaper source of protein for livestock, takes fewer
resources to grow. The disadvantages of
growing algae are that unfortunately the true costs are unknown because this is
still uncharted territory. Additional
funding is still needed for research, but the potential is there.
Image courtesy of http://www.care2.com/ |
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