Algae Argument

(2,000 gallons of oil per acre per year) ”If algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the US, it would require 15,000 square miles, 0.42% of the map – 1⁄7 the area used for corn. Biodiesels in gallons of oil per acre per year: soy beans (50), canola (160), hemp (300), palms (600), algae (2000). NASA’s OMEGA system proposes growing algae on the ocean in plastic bags with semi-permeable membranes, called “forward-osmosis membranes. The USA has jurisdiction over more of the ocean than land – controlling more ocean than any other country, an area of 4,382,646 square miles. An algae farm the size of the North Sea can produce enough fuel to replace all the fossil fuels we use. Algae (Spirulina) is being developed as the “food of the future” because of its amazing ability to synthesize high-quality concentrated food more efficiently than any other algae. Most notably, spirulina is 65 to 71 percent complete protein, with all essential amino acids in perfect balance. In comparison, beef is only 22 percent protein. Spirulina has a photosynthetic conversion rate of 8 to 10 percent, compared to only 3 percent in such land-growing plants as soybeans. In addition, spirulina is one of the few plant sources of vitamin B12, usually found only in animal tissues. A teaspoon of spirulina supplies 2 1/2 times the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin B12 and contains over twice the amount of this vitamin found in an equivalent serving of liver. 2000 gallons of oil and the best food in the world. My vote is grow algae US.