The Zombie-like myth of food vs fuel, especially the historic "example" was, as is detailed above, never real in the first place, and only gained credibility when a World Bank report mistakenly drew a correlation.
Similar to the way grain produces a fuel and then has a "second life" back in the food chain, as with DDG's, algae can produce a vegetable type oil, and the remainder can also become a high nutrition animal feed supplement. However, that only takes this argument half way. The fact is, that although micro-algae are rarely used as a human food ingredient, "macro-algae" (better known as various types of "seaweed") are quite commonly eaten by people around the world.
What is left over from extracting the oil from algae can also be fermented and distilled into ethanol, but it is also a rich nutritional source for human consumption as well as the more indirect route of feeding it to our domesticated animals. It has already be demonstrated as a life-saving anti-famine tool in Africa, and could easily be adapted into recipes for the rest of the world too.
The other amazing fact about algae is its growth rate. Some species of algae grow so fast that they double in total mass as often as 6 times in a single day. But even just a single doubling each day means that if you could feed algae enough carbon dioxide to grow and double continuously (doubling once a day) for 90 days, starting with a single kilo of algae, 90 days would produce enough algae to weigh more than the entire planet Earth. Work it out for yourself, what the 90th power of 2 would be, or you can take my word for it, the theoretical total mass of algae is astounding.
So, from now on, when anyone talks about "food vs fuel" just tell them that algae is both, and doesn't require a drop of fresh water either.
All sorts of possible benefits could come from making algae into a commonly used food or food ingredient. Many health claims that I am not qualified to evaluate are made in the book:
Green Solar Gardens: Algae's Promise To End Hunger (Volume 1)
But the main point here is, that algae can replace every drop of petroleum fuel we use today. If we build the facilities to house the production of algae, the "ramp up" of the growth cycle is less than a whole season (although that's theoretical, not a practical proposal, but the growth will far outstrip our ability to extract the oils for some time, if we just let it grow).
Sincerely,
With Love and Warm Wishes,
Stafford "Doc" Williamson
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