Seaweed has long been investigated as a potential source of bioethanol, which is typically made from crops such as sugar cane and corn, but technological barriers remain to its commercial use.
With rich seaweed resources, "Ireland is poised to become an important player in the next generation of biofuel production," said Stefan Kraan, head of the Irish Seaweed Centre at the National University of Ireland in Galway.
"Algae do not have the negative image of terrestrial biomass resources, which are said to be responsible for higher food prices, impacting on water use, biodiversity and destruction of rain forest," he said.
The annual conference of the International Society for Applied Phycology (the scientific study of algae) is examining the economic and social aspects of using brown seaweeds for bioethanol production.
Professor Michael A. Borowitzka from Murdoch University in Australia told the conference that compared to other bioenergy crops such as rapeseed, peanut or palm oil, there are a number of species of algae that have a higher oil content and can grow in seawater.
"These apparently very favourable properties have generated a frenzy of interest and activities in the field of energy production using algae, both microalgae and seaweeds," he said.
"For biofuel production the algal biomass needs to be produced at a cost of around one dollar or less per kilogramme. In order to achieve this ambitious goal there is the need for year-round reliable high productivity algal culture and all factors need to be optimized and efficiently integrated."
Ireland has 16 commercially useful seaweed species, with additional species being added as more research is carried out.
They are currently used in areas such as food production, fertilizers, soil conditioners, cosmetics, medical preparations, biotechnology and biomedicine.
© 2008 AFP
Related stories:
New evidence from earliest known human settlement in the Americas
New evidence from the Monte Verde archaeological site in southern Chile confirms its status as the earliest known human settlement in the Americas and provides additional support for the theory that one early migration route followed the Pacific Coast more than 14,000 years ago.
Sydney harbors deadly diet for sea creatures
Contaminated seaweeds in Sydney Harbour could be threatening the small animals that feed on them, according to a new study revealing that the harbour's seaweeds have the world's highest levels of copper and lead contamination.
Rats on islands disrupt ecosystems from land to sea, researchers find
Seabird colonies on islands are highly vulnerable to introduced rats, which find the ground-nesting birds to be easy prey. But the ecological impacts of rats on islands extend far beyond seabird nesting colonies, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Divers find new species in Aleutians
There are unknown creatures lurking under the windswept islands of the Aleutians, according to a team of scientific divers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Coral Reefs: Ever Closer to Cliff's Edge
A study in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal
Nature uses a novel analytical approach to assess the health of failing Caribbean coral reefs and offer suggestions for saving them.
Coral reefs will be permanently damaged without urgent action
Coral reefs could be damaged beyond repair, unless we change the way we manage the marine environment. New research by the Universities of Exeter and California Davis, published today in
Nature, shows how damaged Caribbean reefs will continue to decline over the next 50 years.
Envisat captures first image of Sargassum from space
Sargassum seaweed, famous in nautical lore for entangling ships in its dense floating vegetation, has been detected from space for the first time thanks to an instrument aboard ESA’s environmental satellite, Envisat. The ability to monitor Sargassum globally will allow researchers to understand better the primary productivity of the ocean and better predict climate change.
Chemicals in brown algae may protect against skin cancer
Substances extracted from a marine seaweed may protect against skin cancer caused by too much sun, new research suggests.
