Farm Progress

Arizona touted as ideal location to farm algae for biofuel

Arizona's sunny, dry weather makes it the perfect location for farming algae to produce renewable fuels, according to an executive of a national biofuels group.

February 15, 2011

1 Min Read

From the Yuma Sun:

Arizona's sunny, dry weather makes it the perfect location for farming algae to produce renewable fuels, according to an executive of a national biofuels group.



In addition, the state's coal-fired power plants produce quantities of carbon dioxide that would allow for more efficient production of algae, said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board, which held a convention and exposition in Phoenix last week.



However, Jobe and others at the conference said, technology that would allow for mass-production of algae is probably a decade away.

 Biofuels are produced from plants and plant derivatives such as soybean oil used in deep fryers. Jobe called algae the future of biofuels because it has a higher yield from fewer resources and can be farmed on land that can't be used to produce food crops, unlike, for example, corn that goes into ethanol.

Experts: Arizona perfect location to farm algae for biofuel

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