绿色魔术：海藻变石油

    蓝宝石能源公司（Sapphire Energy）在新墨西哥州哥伦布市面积达2,200英亩的荒漠地带建造了世界上第一个大型海藻农场，并从中提炼原油。蓝宝石公司于5年前成立，目前已耗资6,000万美元建造了大约70个养殖池塘，每个都有足球场大小。这家公司还修建了一座炼油厂，并从今年夏天开始提炼石油。目前，第一批海藻石油已经成功问世。

    海藻石油“或将改变世界，”蓝宝石公司首席执行官辛西亚·华纳称，因为蓬勃发展的海藻炼油技术将让任何国家都获得产油能力。华纳拥有28年石油行业从业经验，在加入蓝宝石前，她是英国石油（BP）全球炼油业务负责人。华纳无法抵御海藻炼油的巨大诱惑。海藻是一种繁殖能力极强而且用途广泛的植物，生长周期很短，无需专门培养。在太阳光照下，海藻能吸收二氧化碳，然后在细胞内生成油脂。无论是咸水还是微咸水，海藻都能适应，所以人们可以把池塘修建在那些贫瘠的土地上。经过遗传基因改良过的单细胞海藻在池塘中只需五天就可收获。它们被从水中捞出，在经过一种热化学工艺的“湿性提取法”处理后，油脂便从海藻中分离出来了。蓝宝石计划在新墨西哥州进行日产量为100桶的海藻炼油试验。如果一切进展顺利，该技术有望在2018年正式商业化，原油日产量有望达到10,000桶。

    蓝宝石目前已从风投手中募集到3亿美元，投资者包括比尔·盖茨旗下的瀑布投资（Cascade Investment）。蓝宝石还获得了5，000万美元的政府资助和5，440万美元的联邦贷款担保。不过，目前还没有任何公司能将藻类石油的成本降至化石石油的水平。绿色燃料的价格仍无法像黑色燃料那么便宜。真可惜！

    译者：项航

    On a 2,200-acre expanse of desert scrub in Columbus, N.M. (pop. 1,678), Sapphire Energy has built the world's first large-scale farm to grow algae and produce crude oil. The five-year-old company has spent about $60 million constructing an array of about 70 ponds, each the size of a football field, and a refinery, which began producing oil this past summer. The first barrels are rolling out now.

    Algal oil "has the potential to change the world," says Cynthia Warner, Sapphire's chief executive, because the process by which it is grown will allow any nation to produce oil. Warner joined Sapphire after 28 years in the oil business, most recently as head of global refining at BP (BP). She couldn't resist the allure of algae. Productive and versatile creatures, they grow fast, don't need to be fed, and build up oil in their cells after being exposed to sunlight and CO2. They like salty or brackish water, so ponds can be built on cheap land where not much else will grow. Into each pond go genetically engineered single-celled algae that grow to maturity in about five days, after which they are skimmed from the water and put through a thermo-chemical "wet extraction" process to separate the oil. The company plans to make about 100 barrels of oil a day in New Mexico. If all goes according to plan, commercial production of perhaps 10,000 barrels a day will begin in 2018.

    The company has raised about $300 million from venture capitalists, including Cascade Investment, which is owned by Bill Gates. Sapphire was also awarded a $50 million stimulus and a $54.4 million federal loan guarantee. Alas, no company can make algal oil at a cost that enables it to compete with conventional petroleum -- yet. Green crude just isn't as cheap as the black stuff.