Monday, January 16, 2012

US Navy tests GMO algae-based biofuel


The US Navy and the shipping company Maersk have successfully tested a form of algae-based biofuel, it has been announced.
Read it ar RTCC

US Navy tests genetically modified algal fuel
By RTCC Staff

This is a big deal. The US Navy and large shipping companies use a huge amount of NSFO (Naval Standard/Special Fuel Oil) aka No. 5 fuel. It is a heavy bunker fuel that is significant pollutant.
Shipping fuel is frequently very low grade. In 2009 it was alleged that the world’s 15 largest ships emitted as much pollution in a year as all of the world’s 760 million cars.

2 comments:

TC said...

Wha?!?

" In 2009 it was alleged that the world’s 15 largest ships emitted as much pollution in a year as all of the world’s 760 million cars."

Wow - talk about low hanging fruit...

Small improvements here make huge differences.

Tom Hickey said...

Here's another one for you. Ships with oil-fired engines "blow tubes" to get the soot out of the stack. It's illegal to do so in port or near land in the the US, but at night, who can tell?