Unless you’ve had your head buried in the seabed, you’ll be aware that the earth’s supply of oil – and therefore man’s ability to make fuel for cars – is running out. Interestingly I remember being told at school it would all be gone by 2020, but I'm sure that was the wisdom of the Eighties. However long it lasts we need to come up with some alternatives, and that’s what’s happening.
Hydrogen fuel cell cars are the ultimate goal but a long way in the future. In the meantime, much research is being done on biofuels, which are liquids with the same properties as petrol and diesel, but crucially not made from oil. Crop-based products – using everything from bamboo and coconut to sugar cane and molasses – are relatively common, particularly in South America. But crops take landspace and also take food away from humans.
Now Toyota and 40 other Japanese companies believe they might have come up with the answer. They’ve launched a new study to determine the potential of algae as a source of biofuels. The alliance includes oil companies and, bizarrely, soy sauce maker Kikkoman, and believes the right algae grown in controlled circumstances – literally farming the surface of the sea – presents a real opportunity. Fascinating stuff.
Breakdown Cover from 
