Engineers have created a chemical process that produces useful crude oil just minutes after engineers pour in harvested algae — a verdant green paste with the consistency of pea soup. The PNNL team combined several chemical steps into one continuous process that starts with an algae slurry that contains as much as 80 to 90 percent water. Most current processes require the algae to be dried — an expensive process that takes a lot of energy. Check out also “Converting Tires to Oil and Gas” and also “The Machine that Turns Plastic back to Oil“.
