uShip Blog : Just For Fun

Ever Transported One Million Fruit Pies?

community@uShip.com — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:50:00 GMT

A canceled grocery store order has 1,090,000 million frozen mixed fruit pies up for sale on eBay UK. The fruit puffs have attracted nearly 150 bids and currently stands at over £125,000 (or about $200,000). Now that’s a lot of berries. In fact, if all the pastries were placed end to end, they would stretch from London to Bournemouth, a distance of about 125 miles. No word on how it would affect traffic going that direction.

Aside from how much the winning bidder will pay, naturally, the next question is how much will it cost to transport 13,000 cases containing 84 pies each, or about 130 total pallets? The listing indicates “local pickup only” and the job would probably take five articulated trucks or lorries.

What’s the most unusual shipment you’ve ever had to transport?

Top Truck Ads Selected in Germany

community@uShip.com — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:11:00 GMT

As we were researching last week’s post on Truck Art, we stumbled upon the Rhino Awards for Truck Advertising. The Rhino awards celebrate the most creative trailer advertisements and are held every two years in Germany. All of the ads are submitted as mockups, and once the winners are selected, they get printed and displayed on actual trailers during the awards ceremony.

The goal of the awards is, at least partially, to help relieve boredom on Germany’s AutoBahn and capitalize on the tremendous potential for mobile advertising on trailers. Here are some of our favorite selections from last year’s awards, as well as some all-time favorites.

Before (Vorher) and After (Nachher) – Weight Watchers:

For A full list of the submissions for 2007/2008 click here.

Holy Guano, Batman!!

community@uShip.com — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:40:00 GMT

At uShip, we've had our share of buzz-worthy shipments -- a life-sized Frank Sinatra figure, a real dinosaur skull, and a trailer full of caskets but we just came across one that may be difficult to touch: 4 pallets of bat guano, or excrement from the nocturnal creatures.

What you may not realize is that Guano is quite valuable, a modern-day black gold. Soil that is deficient in organic matter can be given a boost from guano's high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. A Jamba Juice Energy Boost for your dirt, if you will. Best of all guano lacks of an offensive odor. So whichever service provider lands this job, they'll be right up there with psychiatrists and plumbers -- all people who help others deal with their crap.

Trucks as Art - The Creative Side of Trucking

community@uShip.com — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:48:00 GMT

In the past we’ve highlighted the creative spirit of truck drivers do a great job decorating their truck and taking pictures on the road. Today we’d like to present a different point of view – trucks used as art.

As pervasive as 18-wheelers and delivery trucks are in our way of life, we rarely get to see them transformed into art pieces. We scoured the internet to find you some of the ways artists are transforming the backbone of America to make it more beautiful, or at least more interesting.

This piece, called Big Rig Jig by Mike Ross, was constructed from two discarded tanker trucks and displayed at Burning Man, an art festival in the Nevada Desert, in 2007. The structure not only towers 42 feet in the air, but is also designed to allow a person to enter through the cab and climb through the tankers to emerge on a platform at the top. An incredible feat of art, engineering, and playground technology rolled into one.

This truck was designed by artist Vyal, an 18 year veteran of graffiti art, and founder of Graffiti Saved My Life a group that promotes Graffiti art as an alternative to drugs and violence. Though a respected gallery artist, Vyal often gets commissioned to do his work on public spaces, but always with permission taking the stance that “it’s art OR vandalism” not both.

Finally, while this isn’t necessarily a work of art in itself, it’s definitely a statement about art. Truck Art is a mobile gallery that tours around the U.K. and Europe presenting the art of an artist for a few hours before moving to a new artist in a new town. For larger pictures visit TruckArt.org and click on past exhibits.

uShip University: Trucker Lingo 101

community@uShip.com — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:37:00 GMT

“I had the hammer down on the way home-20 to my better half and the ankle biters, but now this baby-bear is taking pictures so I’m going double-nickel.”

While the words may be in English, I may as well be speaking a different language: Trucker.

Most truckers spend some time every day on CB radios (and some never seem to get off them) and have developed their own language, a code of the road that has been defined and refined through the years. Fear not, our friends over at The Trucker’s Report have compiled a list of trucker’s lingo and sayings to help the rest of us communicate. Here are some of our favorites to help you decode the sentence above:

Hammer Down: Going as fast as you can
Home-20: Your Home
Better half: Wife (Or husband)
Ankle Biters: Children
Baby-Bear: Rookie Cop
Taking Pictures: Police using
Radar Double Nickel: 55 Mph.

Wikipedia has also compiled a list of “Ten-Code” – code phrases used in CB and Police Radio Communication:
10-4: Ok, Understood, or Affirmative
10-20: My current location.
10-36: The time of day (as in “What’s the 10-36?”)

Take some time to study and learn these, you'll know when you're fluent if you can listen to Cleddus Maggard’s 1970s song “The White Knight” and understand what he's talking about!

Don’t forget to let us know what your favorite bits of Trucker lingo are in the comments!

uShip Team Members Embark on Epic Journey

community@uShip.com — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:03:00 GMT

This Saturday, four members of the uShip team will embark on an epic journey through the Texas wilderness. The race, the Texas Wildlife Safari, has been called the World’s Toughest Canoe Race–and, with 100 teams racing 262 miles day and night in under 100 hours, I don’t think you will get a lot of argument!

This year promises to be the most challenging year to date. Because of record low rainfall across Texas, water levels on the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers are 50% lower than at any other time in the 32 year history of the race. This means that in addition to battling 100 degree temperatures, water moccasins and alligators, the team will have to deal with a dried up and slow river.

The uShip team, aptly named Succession Plan (yes, our valiant CEO is part of the team), will leave dock at 9am tomorrow morning. As this is their first year competing, their goal is to finish under the 100 hour cut-off – no small feat given that fewer than 50% of the teams will finish. Teams must carry all of their own gear in the boat, and can only get water and ice from their trusted team managers/captains.

All of us at uShip wish our uShip sponsored team the best. For those that want to track the progress of the brave (and yes, somewhat crazy) team, please follow them on their GPS tracking page which will go live tomorrow. You can also follow uShip on Twitter for in-race updates from the team managers at @uship.

And now, please meet the mighty six person ‘Team Succession Plan’:

Team Managers/Captains

Caitlin Marr – Product Associate
Gillian Smith – Office Manager

Boat Crew

Matt Chasen – CEO
Andy Michaelis – Sr. Web Developer
Michael Foroobar – Sr. SRA Associate
Michael Holt -- Controller

Dakotora: Extreme Truck Customization or Travelling Carnival?

community@uShip.com — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:38:00 GMT

Personalizing your workspace, being your desk or your truck, is a normal part of the workplace. When we think of personalizing a truck, we think of having a few pictures, seat covers, maybe a bobble-head or two, or a custom metallic gloss paint job if you’re really serious.

In Japan, truck customization is a bit more involved: custom mirrors, stainless steel truck decks that look like dragons, full murals on the trailer, and hundreds of neon flashing lights. It’s such a common practice in the country, that it’s an art form of sorts called Dekotora. Although the practice started with individual drivers using spare parts to customize their rigs, it has since become an entire industry in Japan, with readymade parts available for a myriad of customizations, no matter how specialized. The result is truck stops that look more like casinos than rest areas.

Check out some of our favorites.

For more pictures check out Jalopnik's Dakotora archive, and more at Dark Roasted Blend.

USPS Detectives Solve Address Mysteries

community@uShip.com — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:58:00 GMT

Imagine if the only information you had for finding a delivery spot for your loads was a few lines of cat-scratch scrawled on a tiny bit of paper. Sometimes the location will be missing a name, or a street number, others it will have the wrong city, or be made out to “The second house after the barber shop”. You are expected to make every delivery, on time and to the right address. Now imagine you have to make millions of these deliveries a day.

If you work for the US Postal Service you don’t have to imagine it. There are about a million packages and letters that are mislabeled or practically unreadable, and they all have to be delivered. Computers have gotten better and better at understanding human handwriting - 95% of handwritten envelopes can be deciphered by computers compared to 2% in 1995. Yet the remaining 5% that the computer could not interpret still need to be sent, and so the USPS employs an army of postal detectives, called Keyers.

At Remote Encoding Centers across the country, hundreds of Keyers look through scribbles, typos, and omissions to try to figure out where the letter should be delivered. Does this letter go to 14485 or 1448 S.? Is the package addressed to someone named Nola, or New Orleans, LA? By using a combination of tips, tricks, and a little common sense, the keyers can manage to deliver 75% of the indecipherable letters to the right address. Sometimes a letter and a number is enough to turn an undeliverable piece into a success. The goal is to find each piece’s recipient in less than 20 minutes, but it’s not unusual to sort through 1000 pieces of mail an hour.

As computer technology improves in effectiveness, more addresses are typewritten, and demand for postal services declines, fewer of the keyers and centers are needed, with plans to shut down three of the remaining five centers in 2010. For the time being USPS will continue to rely on these Postal Detectives to keep the largest civilian fleet going through rain, shine, and mislabeled envelopes.

Battle of the Big Rigs in Bangor, Maine

community@uShip.com — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:47:00 GMT

The Maine Professional Drivers Association held their annual Professional Truck Driving Championship last week in Bangor, Maine. Trucks come from across Maine to show their driving skills with rigs of all different sizes: from step vans to twin trailers. Competition was fierce but friendly, with age old rivalries between different companies and teams that have been going on since the first championship in 1949.

The event is designed not only as a fun-spirited truck-driving contest, but to promote safety and professionalism on the road. To emphasize the focus on safety, entry was limited to drivers who had an accident and ticket free record for the last 12 months prior to the event. To qualify for the driving competition, the driver must also past a written safety exam on state and federal regulation, which along with the pre-trip safety check, is part of the requirements for the Grand Championship.

To mix things up even further, drivers don’t drive their own vehicles. They had to use another company’s rig to complete challenges such as judging distances for stops, or backing into a tight delivery spot. At the end of the competition, a grand champion was selected. Matthew Richardson of FedEx ground won first place in the Twin Trailers and “Rookie of the Year” categories, ultimately winning the Grand Championship title, and gaining entry into a three-day national competition scheduled for later this year in Pittsburgh, PA.

uShip congratulates Mr. Richardson in his victory, along with all truckers who take the time to learn and practice safety in their rigs and on the road.

World's Most Interesting Truckers

community@uShip.com — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:36:00 GMT

Sit down with a truck driver for an hour and you'll hear some of the most interesting stories you've ever come across. Drivers are an underappreciated and colorful bunch. Here at uShip we've collected who we feel are the world's most interesting truckers.

John Coster-Mullen – This long-haul driver from Waukesha, WI successfully constructed the most accurate model to date of the original atom bombs that fell over Nagasaki and Hiroshima without the benefit of a college degree. Working in his garage alongside his son Jason, Coster-Mullen single handedly disproved that high tech machinery and scientific expertise is necessary to build one of the most lethal weapons known to man. Using only old pictures and declassified government documents the ex-photographer solidified the fact that truckers really are “the bomb.”

Karl Malone – When this NBA hall of famer, nicknamed “The Mailman,” isn’t busy fathering children out of wedlock he spends his retirement hauling hay and cattle around his Arkansas ranch. The proud owner of a six-rig fleet named Malone Enterprises, he personally drives a $190,000 18-wheeler emblazed with a wild-west mural. To his credit, Malone donated time, money and the use of his trucks to aid the relief effort after Hurricane Katrina. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am!

Jerrel “Tyrone” Malone – The second Malone on our list (no relation to Karl) made a name for himself as a showman and drag racer, most famously hauling a 38 ft frozen sperm whale across three continents and charging visitors 35 cents a peek. Over the course of thirty years “Little Irvy” chilled out as Malone dragged the display across the US, Canada and Europe before tragically (and ironically) meeting his demise after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into…a trucker. No whales posted on uShip yet but we’re looking forward to the first.

Elvis Presley – At 19 years old “The King” was once famously told to “stick to driving a truck, because you’ll never make it as a singer.” The Crown Electric Company’s loss quickly became everyone’s gain as Elvis rose to unprecedented stardom, revolutionizing showmanship and giving mothers everywhere reason to lock up their daughters. Many believe “The King” still lives so keep your eyes peeled next time you’re in a truck stop, he may just be taking a break from the limelight.

Dennis Anderson – When Anderson fused a 1952 Ford pick-up body to his customized suspension and proceeded to dominate the young sport of monster trucking the legend of “Grave Digger” was born. Now in its 19th generation, the world’s most famous monster truck is still smashing cars and crushing the competition in rallies around the globe. Now if we can only get it to pull a trailer…

Sean Connery – Everyone knows that Connery retains his natural accent regardless of the nationality of his character, but few are aware that long before Bond and knighthood the Scotsman was a second generation truck driver in Edinburgh. With widespread rumors that he has quit the acting biz, is it possible to see 007 behind the wheel once again? Not bloody likely!

Carl Judice – What has Carl done to make this list? Oh, nothing besides log over 1 million miles behind the wheel of his 1998 Chevy pick-up in less than 7 years! For those of you counting that’s nearly 40 times around the earth and almost 150,000 per year! After a career change from farmer to trucker Judice utilized his mechanical expertise to keep his beloved truck in tip top shape, changing his oil more than 400 times in the process. Contact this road warrior for any deliveries… to the moon!

Larry Walters – This North Hollywood truck driver reached 16,000 ft in the air in a lawn chair attached to 45 weather balloons before the icy temperature forced him to decent. Although he managed to escape the adventure unharmed, the FAA fined him $4,000 for numerous violations. Let’s hope this was the only time he was steering that high.

Chris Eubank - The charismatic, stylish and eccentric ex-world champion boxer is the only person on this list to have taken up truck driving after gaining celebrity status. Perhaps this is due to the fact that despite making $35million in the ring and endorsement deals Eubank was bankrupt by the end of 2005 After retiring with a career record of 45-2 Eubank’s biggest splash came in 2003 when he was arrested for driving his big rig through the streets of London in protest of the Iraq war.

Cars, Trucks and Ships Wait Patiently as the Economy Weathers the Storm

community@uShip.com — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:52:00 GMT

Changes are reverberating through every sector as the global economy continues to retract. While U.S. job losses mount in the face of massive government bailouts and an unsteady housing market, China’s enormous economy is feeling the strain of the lack of demand for its consumer products. Nearly every country in the Europe has experienced some level of economic contraction, and many are seeing their worst numbers in decades. The recession has been particularly cruel to the automobile and transportation industries, which are seeing their inventories sit and collect rust as the demand for new cars and freight transport continue to dwindle.

Hundreds of cargo ships sit idly in Singapore’s port. One of the busiest terminals in the world, regularly servicing over 500 such ships a day, has been turned into a parking lot by the decreasing global demand for Asian imports.

The drop in consumer spending has curbed thousands of semi-trucks across the U.S. That, in addition to the previous spike in diesel prices, has forced many companies to the brink of bankruptcy and beyond.

Ports, terminals and parking lots across Europe, Asia and the United States are overflowing with new cars as sales rates continue to drop.

Fresh off the boat from Japan, new Toyotas fill a lot at the port of Long Beach.

Cars await delivery to dealerships across the UK at the port of Sheerness.

Peugots sit patiently in Italy at the port of Civitavecchia.

Amazing Video: Truck Hijacking in Atlanta

community@uShip.com — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:26:00 GMT

Like many throughout the country, those of us at uShip watched the news on Tuesday to see a truck hijacked and leading police on a chase in Georgia. Although truck owner Torrey Robert Lang made a valiant showing at trying to stop the hijacker, this scene is far from the most amazing transportation heist of all time. Here at uShip.com we recently took a look at those biggest acts of piracy. Take a look for yourself and let us know in the comments where you think this recent hijacking ranks.

Revenge of the Supertrucks

community@uShip.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:23:00 GMT

Imagine your normal pickup truck on steroids, then mutated and finally multiplied by a million horsepower. Depending on your interpretation, odds are that your mental image looks something like one of the behemoths below. If you thought Transformers were the only supertrucks out there, think again. These monster machines are hard-at-work hauling ore and earth, tearing across the track and romping through the mud; eat your heart out, Optimus Prime.

THE LONGEST

The Centipede

Measuring in at 182 feet long, the Centipede is the longest truck in the world. Used for transporting ore, this road-train is capable of hauling 200 tons in its six trailers and even though its top speed is only 40mph, the truck’s momentum will keep it coasting up to 4 kilometers on a level surface without hitting the gas. While great for the mining industry, this would be a nightmare to get stuck behind on the highway.

THE FASTEST

Shockwave

The fastest truck in the world, Shockwave is equipped with three jet engines that add up to 36,000 horsepower and are capable of propelling the truck down the track at an unbelievable 376 mph! That’s fast enough to drive form NY to LA in about seven hours. If you see these flaming stacks in your rearview, it’s probably a good idea to make way.

THE MONSTER

Bigfoot

The original monster truck, Bigfoot continues to be one of the most popular trucks in the sport and is one of the most recognizable vehicles in the world. Bigfoot 1 was constructed and driven by Bob Chandler in 1975 and set the precedent for monster trucks as we know them today, including the first documented car crush. The latest addition to the fleet, Bigfoot 19, was constructed in 2000 and is currently a display truck for Chandler’s pro-shop in Missouri. The average truck in the Bigfoot fleet takes between three months and one year to construct and costs around $150,000.

THE GIANTS

The Terex Titan

Powered by a locomotive engine generating 3300 horsepower, the Titan was the largest truck ever built when it was revealed in Las Vegas in 1974, and held that title for more than two decades. In addition to the 16 cylinders under the hood, Titan possesses a generator that is powerful enough to heat 250 houses simultaneously. Designed for open-pit coal mining, the machine suffered from downtime problems and was eventually retired in 1991. Titan is currently displayed on Highway 3 in Sparwood, B.C. where it is promoted as a tourist attraction and a mascot for the preserved Sparwood coal mine.

The Caterpillar 797

The 797 grabbed the title of “Biggest Truck in the World” from the Titan in 1998 and held that distinction until 2001, but this beast still commands awe and respect. Standing 23 feet tall and 47.5 feet long, this big Cat is driven by a 24-cylinder V24 quad-turbo diesel engine with an output of 3400 horses. Rumbling along at speeds of up to 40 mph, the 797 uses an average of 65 gallons of fuel per hour and gets about .3 miles per gallon. Because of the massive costs involved in running the machine, it is actually more economical to keep the 797 working at all times than to turn it off. This is the only way to ensure that the output justifies the costs, so the only time this feline naps is during maintenance.

Liebherr T 282B

This giant, German earth-hauling machine grabbed the title of “Biggest Truck in the World’ upon its release in 2004. Hand-built in Newport News, VA, each vehicle rolls off the line weighing 203 metric tons, stands 7.4 meters tall and 14.5 long and costs $3.5 million. Its diesel-electric hybrid engine cranks out 3650 horsepower and allows it to reach 40 mph while hauling 365 metric tons. In addition to its impressive capabilities, the 282B is the first “luxury” mining vehicle to date, offering optional CD-player and air conditioning systems. Why haul if you can’t haul in style?

Because every super hero has a cave, lair or fortress of solitude, it seems fitting that these mega machines should have the ultimate home base as well. While the whereabouts of the actual location are top secret, it is probably comparable to the Iowa 80 Truck Stop. Nestled among the cornfields, the largest truck stop in the world opened its doors in 1964 with only two diesel pumps and a small restaurant. Since that point, Iowa 80 has grown to cover 200 acres and services 5,000 customers per day. With all of the great accommodations, truckers must be reminded daily that, “It’s not Heaven, it’s Iowa.”

Funny Phone Call: The Circus Comes to Town

community@uShip.com — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:01:00 GMT

Dear Frank the Clown,

You have come to the right place; I am the man with the answers in the shipping world. Thank you for your very important question regarding the transport of well-trained circus animals. You may not realize it, but we actually get this question quite a bit so I thought it would be helpful to post your phone message and walk you through the basics.

While you need to ship a llama, yak, pot-bellied pig and a squirrel, uShip makes it easy to list in one convenient spot. Simply list your item in the Pets and Livestock category, and be sure to find our special Circus Animals sub-category.
In your listing, be sure to detail all of the special skills each animal has been trained for. Any potential transporter will want to know in advance of any tricks the animals might play on them that could make transportation more difficult.
When measuring the animals, be sure to do a nose to hind legs and nose to tip of the tail calculation – this will aid the transporter in determining how to pack the animals in their trailer (obviously you could pack a squirrel tail-up or tail-down!).
In the end, use common sense. These are clearly valuable animals and you want to find a transporter that will take special care of your special animals.

Frank the Clown, I hope this answers your questions. As always, I am available any time to help, you don’t even need to throw the mayor’s name around!

Mickey Millsap
Director of Community, Trust, Safety & Wacky Phone Calls

Five Futuristic Fuels That Could Transform Transport

community@uShip.com — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:58:00 GMT

With the economy going downhill faster than a 400lbs man on skis, it’s hard to remember that we face other tough problems. Although gas prices have gone down recently, fossil fuels are not a good long term solution for the world’s energy needs. Here’s a list of five possible future sources of renewable energy that give us that tingly feeling all over.

Excrement Electric Co.

What is it?

It’s a sticky, smelly, dark liquid that comes from the ground, and it might hold the future of our Energy independence. We’re not talking about Texas Tea; we’re talking about Bathroom Bullion: raw sewage. Sewage has one big advantage over oil: it doesn’t take dead dinosaurs and millions of years to make – a few bites of Taco Bell and 15 minutes should do the trick.

How does it work?

By adding bacteria and pressure to what is essentially a septic tank, researchers have been able to create large quantities of methane gas with practically no work. Over 3.9 million of these units have been installed in India, with plans to install 12 million by 2012. The City of San Antonio recently approved plans for a plant that could produce up to 1.5 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

Why is it exciting?

The gas can be used to power electric generators, stoves, heaters, as well as automobiles and buses that have been converted to run on natural gas. Word is still out on how much the city will be paying for farts trapped in jars.

Energy Crisis + Obesity Epidemic = Energy

What is it?

With 95% or more of Americans being morbidly obese, a Dr Alan Bittner came up with the perfect solution: turn their fat into fuel. He claimed on his (now defunct) website that he could turn 1 gallon of human fat into one gallon of diesel, and he got about the same mileage too.

Why is it exciting?

Lots of people want liposuction but are waiting for the right environmental motivation. With Americans getting fatter every year, we might soon eat enough Twinkies, French fries, and double chocolate cookie dough ice-cream to power our future.

What’s the downside?

Not only is this an illegal use of medical waste, but Dr. Bittner may have fled to South America after some patients sued him for malpractice, or something. Considering the fine doctor’s track record, some people are flabbergasted at his claims. Wired.com takes issue with the doctor’s claim because a) he’s a “tool”, b) he stole the idea from fight club/soylent green, and c) he doesn’t own a vehicle that could run on diesel.

Environmental 1UP

What is it?

Scientists from Montana State University found a funky fungus from the Patagonian Rainforest. One of the mushrooms growing on an Ulmo tree was secreting complex hydro-carbons, or as normal people would say it: “diesel”. Mushrooms have been powering our trips for millennia, and they may hold the solution for powering our vehicles.

How does it work?

These mushrooms feed on cellulose cells and release the diesel as their waste. Cellulose is the basic building block for most plant life on the plant, so they can pretty much grow on anything – even paper.

Why is it exciting?

Biodiesels are criticized for turning food into fuel but these mushrooms make can make diesel from pretty much anything on the planet. Like most of the fuel production wunderkind, development of mycodiesel is barely in its infancy, but shows promise if it can be synthesized to a large scale. If the enzymes can be reproduced, they could be used in factories to turn waste into diesel.

Gasoline Germs

What is it?

The Biotech firm LS9 has been able to tinker with a form of E.Coli so that it eats sugars and poops petroleum. And just like an obese goat at a petting zoo, these bacteria will eat anything. The fuel can be produced from almost any organic waste, from sugar cane to woodchips.

How does it work?

LS9 believes that the key to our energy future is to keep it simple. By producing a petroleum look-alike we avoid completely redesigning our existing infrastructure. We just replace the cruddy crude with fresh E.coli excrement and we are good to go.

Why is it exciting?

Aside from the environmental implications of using petroleum, there’s a pesky problem with its production cycle: it takes millions of years for the stuff to be made. Biochemists, being notoriously impatient, decided they weren’t going to wait that long. If industrial scale production becomes possible, we could easily replace our fossil fuels with synthetic fossil fuels that are environmentally neutral.

Algae Biodiesel

What is it?

One of the most promising and exciting developments in biodiesel is Algae biodiesel. Biodiesel is an exciting possibility but supplying enough organic waste to completely replace petroleum could be a problem. That’s where algae come in.

How does it work?

Much like other biofuels, it involves extracting the oil from the plant, and adding a few chemicals to allow it to burn clean in any standard diesel engine. Algae are extremely easy to grow, requiring little more than water, CO2, and sunshine. It will also grow on human or farm sewage, serving as a first step in water recycling. Most importantly it’s 50% oil by weight.

Why is it exciting?

While an acre of corn can produce 150 gallons of biodiesel a year, an acre of algae could produce up to 20,000, with 2% of our current cropland being able to supply most of the US’ energy needs. Algae can produce 5-10x as much energy as it takes to convert into fuel. That’s enough to excite anyone’s inner hippie.

As promising as algae have been for fuel production, there is still ongoing research to try and find even more efficient and effective methods of growing it and converting it into biofuel.