Microalgae farms have great potential for meeting B.C.'s diesel needs, as they can produce substantially larger amounts of oil on less land, compared to sources like soybeans and canola. For this reason, BCIC is leading a partnered project to further investigate this potential and its commercial viability.
While microalgae farms could potentially meet most of the province's needs on less than 40,000 hectares, sources such as oilseeds, animal wastes, and fry oil can only satisfy 4.5 percent of this need. The project underway will be a critical foundation for further work within government, academia, and the private sector for microalgae biomass research, development and technology deployment in British Columbia.
The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands is contributing $55,000 towards the project, valuing the project's opportunity to explore new technologies. With the rising cost of food, a closer look must be given to current sources and production of biofuel and bioenergy in order to advance towards a sustainable future.
Identifying this as a viable opportunity to explore alternative energy sources, BCIC is leading the project and contributing $10,000. BC Hydro and Canadian Bioenergy are also on board with contributions of $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. Environmentalists are keen on the ability of microalgae farms to capture carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere–a green advantage that furthers a carbon neutral B.C.
