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skedeebs t1_j5j7jrw wrote

This is potentially very exciting, but companies have also talked about producing cheap and sustainable aviation fuel from algae for at least 15 years. They talk about scaling up from "several tonnes" of algae 2 or 3 years from now. It seems a very long way from being a replacement for anything yet, let alone plastic.

We should all be desperate for this to work on a massive scale. Congratulations to the researchers who have made the first steps.

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lucidesposition t1_j5k5871 wrote

There has to be on successful operation that’s running off algae. I’ll look it up skeebs

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linmar22 t1_j5kc62z wrote

Maybe they can turn algae into another one of those amazing batteries we keep hearing about. You know, the ones that charge instantly, fit in your pocket, and hold a charge large enough to power your house for 10 years.

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MuddyFinish t1_j5kobd3 wrote

I can wait for some A.I.(Algae Intelligence) to get developed.

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quaffwine t1_j5lfwrv wrote

I’m a kelp farmer and I must say there’s a lot of noise and very little to show from bioplastic companies that I talk to.

I think there may be some very real potential on the biofuels front but scaling up will take some awesome infrastructure projects the likes of which we can’t easily imagine for, including it’s effects on ocean dwellers and oceanic nutrient flows.

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WEIRDOCAMPdotCOM t1_j5leni8 wrote

Algae is so excessively renewable, it's a natural priority right now.

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JustPruIt89 t1_j5nj691 wrote

Biofuels from algae were a potential, but then oil prices shot back down. These companies decided the market was too volatile but used the knowledge they gained to use algae for plastics, neutraceuticals, alternative meat, etc

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Bluestripedshirt t1_j5k48fy wrote

There are a couple of Silicon Valley startups working on this. The biggest issue is time. The “plastic” breaks down after about 6-8 weeks. So even though the product is about the same cost as regular plastic, it’s shelf life is much much shorter - ultimately increasing the cost if they have to throw it away before usage.

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pyrrhios t1_j5k81uu wrote

Isn't that really the point, though? That it doesn't last? There's probably a need to improve that shelf life, but ultimately I don't see a way to get out of the cost for storage and recycling being higher, but that's because it actually uncovering some of the hidden costs of environmental damage of plastics.

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thinkmatt t1_j5kedwj wrote

Yea this could be very useful in things like food containers where the contents don't even let 6-8 weeks

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Allmightydohllah t1_j5kfqr4 wrote

Yeah food titans like Tyson and McDonald's could easily use this in their operations

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aeroboost t1_j5kc9u6 wrote

That's literally why they're looking for a replacement for plastic. It's now in food we eat because that shit lasts forever💀💀

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Bluestripedshirt t1_j5kr4hb wrote

Sure. The issue is that the entire industry currently relies on huge stores of cheap inventory. Turning this into just in time will be a logistics challenge and one that won’t happen quickly.

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Meraline t1_j5l9dau wrote

I can instantly think that this would be perfect for disposable water bottles.

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hydralisk_hydrawife t1_j5lfizv wrote

It's not the point but it's definitely a factor. Imagine your warehouse having some liquid all over the floor and a good chunk of the product because this algae plastic degraded early. If it hurts the bottom line, companies won't switch easily, which means this tech won't have much of an impact.

If it even so much as just "doesn't hurt the bottom line" companies will gladly switch and tout their eco friendly products.

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pyrrhios t1_j5lgq10 wrote

We're probably going to need to add a petroleum tax and/or fossil fuel tax to make up for the hidden costs of continuing to use oil-based plastics and fossil fuels. Eliminating subsidies for oil and coal companies would also help.

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hydralisk_hydrawife t1_j5lkww2 wrote

Agreeeeed. There are hidden costs to these pollutants but they aren't on the bottom line. Let's PUT THEM THERE.

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willstr1 t1_j5lsqmd wrote

A faster decomp than plastic is absolutely a win but less than a year would make it almost entirely worthless. By the time it gets from the factory to the consumer it will probably already be falling apart

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dustofdeath t1_j5lyb1m wrote

You can't stockpile it either in a factory.

You would need direct feed from plastic manufacturer to your packaging line with no caps, breaks or supply issues.

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pyrrhios t1_j5m19ax wrote

So yes, we need to figure out how to improve shelf life.

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Physical_Average_793 t1_j5m6dv0 wrote

I would want the plastic furniture on my firearms to work so I don’t yknow get hurt

But good idea for like packaging for fresh meats and mail

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pyrrhios t1_j5ox72q wrote

In my mind the idea is simply to move away from coal, oil and gas as our primary sources of energy and materials. They don't need to go away completely as long as we develop enough methods and means to offset their use and start undoing the damage we've already done.

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Ma3vis t1_j5k98hc wrote

Aren't they already doing similar things with mushrooms? (Sauce)

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KindlyContribution54 t1_j5ld01k wrote

That sounds absolutely awesome if used for food packaging, like replacing all those plastic clam shells and soda can ties. At first I was worried this was going to be like when they foolishly replaced wiring insulation with soy and was imagining the rodents salivating over newly edible algae car parts and electrical boxes after they finished off the wires.

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CinderellaSmartass t1_j5rhjo5 wrote

My boyfriend is mad at the squirrels because they used to chew up the wires in his old truck. Thankfully the new one has normal wire insulation lol

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sigmatrophic t1_j5jomuf wrote

We need to eat it, not turn it into bags soon.

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grateparm t1_j5kb68q wrote

Medical, industrial and shipping use literally thousands of tons of disposable plastic everyday.

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drunksquatch t1_j5kxqn4 wrote

I've always wanted to see human ability to over harvest up against something invasive or over populous.

If it gets scaled up to commercial and ubiquitous use, a good fleet of commercial ships could theoretically clean huge swaths of water.

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ammiemarie t1_j5kcg9u wrote

Somebody should focus on the algae in Lake Erie for this project.

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Martholomeow t1_j5k8n9t wrote

This is great news! I was on vacation in the caribbean last year and there was so much sargassum seaweed floating on the water that we didn’t want to swim!

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SpyralHam t1_j5l0rfl wrote

>These are then sold to food, cosmetics, textiles, packing and agricultural companies.

It would be great if these products wouldn't eventually decompose into carbon dioxide, methane, etc. that contribute to climate change. Algae is great at capturing carbon, but we have to make sure it doesn't reenter the atmosphere

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maxharnicher t1_j5lyxng wrote

A ski (and now snowboard) company locally here in SLC, WNDR Alpine, replaces petroleum with algae in their core and sidewall. Sick products.

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Interesting_Engine37 t1_j5l59ko wrote

I really hope she gets rich in this! That will motivate others to try and to the same!

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dustofdeath t1_j5lxpuz wrote

Isn't the primary problem lack of algae for a mass production scale and low density per unit of volume you need to farm it.

There are countless technologies for alternatives, but they all lack the means to scale up.

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TarantinoFan23 t1_j5k6d4f wrote

Sounds like pro-pesticide propaganda.

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csolisr t1_j5kvsyp wrote

Kind of get where you come from, the issue comes from excess of nutrients in the water being washed out from farm terrains, but the issue is that the excess of algae needs to be fixed. Whether it's by organizations, or by the producers trying to fix their own mess

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