Ottawa backs algae CO2-capture research
I was pleasantly surprised, and equally suspicious, when I saw the announcement today that Natural Resources Canada would be investing $100,000 toward “microalgae systems” for capturing CO2. “The microalgae, a valuable source of biomass, would then be converted into a range of industrial products and by-products such as renewable natural gas, hydrogen and biofuels.”
Specifically, the funding is for a research project related to the development of the I-CAN Centre for the Conversion of Carbon Dioxide, which will be guided by the Alberta Research Council, the Saskatchewan Research Council, Manitoba’s Industrial Technology Centre and an industrial research centre in Quebec. According to a government press release, the microalgae systems could “capture up to 100 million tonnes of CO2 from industrial sources, such as coal-fired plants and oil sands projects.”
I say “pleasantly surprised” because, well, I never expected any talk of algae-based carbon capture to come out of Ottawa, let alone the Harper government. It’s nice to see the technology, which I’ve posted about several times (here, here and here), at least recognized as an option.
Now, the suspicious part: Why only $100,000? Why is this money going to a largely western-based organization? Where’s Ontario in this, given its power plants are the biggest polluters in the country? And why is the government touting something as obscure, and unlikely, as algae farms in the oil sands when we’ve seen zero discussion or financial support around more feasible and practical options, such as geothermal in the oil sands?
Let’s face is, $100,000 is a spit in the bucket, making this announcement seem like nothing more than a pre-election headline grabber to create the perception that Ottawa is taking action on greenhouse gases. And why try to re-invent the wheel when there are several companies — granted, non-Canadian companies — that have spent years trying to prefect the algae-sequestration process? The money would be better spent directly on a pilot project, rather than replication of research.
Perhaps I’m missing something, some detail. Perhaps I’m being a bit too hard on the feds. But I hate seeing money, despite the small sum, spent on research that’s already been done when that money could be spent on applying existing know-how to a problem that needs solving yesterday. The fact is Canada can’t and shouldn’t do everything. It should focus attention on enhanced oil recovery, geothermal and gasification — the things we do best — rather than dabble in a new area that others have, it appears, already mastered.
Tyler Hamilton is editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights magazine and a business columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. In addition to this Clean Break blog, Tyler writes a weekly column of the same name that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the clean technology and green energy market. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005. It is not an official blog of the newspaper.
March 13th, 2007 at 11:36 am
I believe that algae is the way to go. It could replace oil. The best way to kill this is (a) Let oil dependent provinces get involved so as to make sure that no progress will be achieved, and (b) Underfund it in the first place.
March 13th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Be skeptical. Be very skeptical. That’s especially true with respect to politicians.
This appears to be a Harper green washing act. Just look south of the border. Uh, a little bit further south. OK a lot further south where Bush was on his Latin America tour to sell “America’s record of aid and concern of the poor of Latin America.”
OK now that you’ve picked yourself off of the floor from hysterical laughter and recover from hitting your head hard on the table during the fall. Look at what Bush actually did. He was in Brazil to cut an ethanol trade deal with Brazil and to further ethanol production from Guatemala’s abundant sugar cane crops which can not be exported to the US as sugar because of trade tariffs but are perfectly fine as ethanol as sugar cane yields a much higher quantity of ethanol than corn does. It’s ironic that Bush touted ethanol as a way of getting away from foreign sources of oil from people who do not mean the US well, like umm, Canada and Mexico, who provide a substantial amount of the imported fuel the we here in the US use.
So Harper takes his cues from Bush. He apes him and he agrees with him that the government should not reign in green house gasses.
And that is, as they say, all folks!
March 13th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
First, $100,000 is so pathetic that it is not even laughable. We should be crying. The US did millions of research into algae after the oil crisis in the late 70′s and early 80′s and we spring for $100 K split in couple places. I’m embarrassed.
About Brazil, US farmers will be up in arms about the Ethanol deal. By doing a deal in Brazil and other Latin American countries, there is greater potential for oil companies to control prices and supply. There will be less incentive for American farmers and less investment in Ethanol plants when the price can be undercut by offshore product.
Remember, George W is an oil man, and if McCann falters there’s another Bush waiting in the wings….
March 18th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Here is what a smaller country is willing to do.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/world/middleeast/18abudhabi.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin