"A closed fuel cycle. A marvel. Why aren't we doing this on a large scale? What would it take?"

Answer to first question:

http://i-r-squared.blogspot.com/2007/05/algal-biodiesel-f ...

Answer to second question:

Hundreds of millions in research funds, about one decade, and no guarantee in the end it would prove economically viable. Let's cross our fingers it turns out to be the environmentally benighn competitor that crushes industrial agrofuel.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

in fluid-filled tubes, feeds those nitrogen-rich emissions into a pond where it feeds algae...

The algae are supposed to be hungry for CO2, although perhaps they take some nitrogen too. There are reasonable doubts their remains could make enough biodiesel in a thousand years to manufacture those tubes; or as the expert Rapier quotes puts it,

... The use of closed photobioreactors (>$100+/m2) for such applications is totally absurd.

Energy means money. The theme that Lewis notes with the propane tank of all possible fossil fuel replacements, as long as they're ineffective, is clearly not departed from at Burning Man.

--- G. R. L. Cowan, boron car fan
How shall the car gain nuclear cachet?

... at Burning Man. He found the audience surprisingly open-minded about it. His thoughts are here.

grist.org

Joel Makower did say that the Burning Man audience lacked creativity about what a green company would look like. I am interested in his LEED similar standards for green businesses idea. Can a company be green if it produces a product that sucks? Can a tank company be green? Can Wal-Mart be green with a supply line like it has, wages like its got, products like it has, and politics like it funds? Is there such a thing as a company being done with it's green improvement and can a company that views success by bottomline alone ever create the type of society that would be sustainable?
Hopefully the Green Man will be just as green next year!

The Black Car Project