Project Information

School name	Sherwood Heights School
Team size	1 or 2
Grade Category	7 - 8
Project Type	Experimental
Subject Area	Earth/Energy/Environmental
Language	English
Team Captain First Name	Ishan
Team Captain Last Name	Aditya
Software Tools Used	Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 Macromedia Fireworks MX 2004 Microsoft Word Microsoft Excel (for Graphs and Charts) Microsoft Powerpoint
Hardware Tools Used	Scanner, Digital Camera
Special Skills	HTML
Source of Idea	Mission statement of Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation, seen during a family vacation to New Zealand: "Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation has set itself the objective to be the first company in the world to economically produce biofuel from wild algae harvested from open-air environments, to market it, and meet the challenge of increasing demand."
Project Title and Award	Algae Ethanol - The Bug Power - First Place Winner in School Science Fair, 2008
Abstract	"Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology towards the organic, the gentle, the non-violent, the elegant and the beautiful." - Schumacher (1973) Purpose of this experiment was to produce ethanol from algae, as an environmentally friendly alternative to food crop-based fuels and petroleum-based fuels. Experimental data and results have been used to calculate the heat energy of ethanol produced from algae. Relationship among the Laws of Thermodynamics has been used to analyze the results to show that: Energy is freely available in our universe and in these tiny microorganisms called algae contains energy. Specific gravity of the colourless liquid, produced by fermenting algae, was measured. When ethanol is burned, thermal energy is released.