几年前，我试图去了解 Some years ago, I set out to try to understand
是否大规模开发生物燃料是可行的 if there was a possibility to develop biofuels
这种生物燃料会与化石燃料竞争 on a scale that would actually compete with fossil fuels
而不会与农业竞争水源， but not compete with agriculture for water,
肥料或者土地 fertilizer or land.
这是我想出来的 So here's what I came up with.
想像一下，我们制造一个封闭的容器 Imagine that we build an enclosure where we put it
我们将它放在水下，用废水 just underwater, and we fill it with wastewater
以及某些产油的微藻填充它 and some form of microalgae that produces oil,
这个容器是用某种柔韧的材质做的 and we make it out of some kind of flexible material
所以它会在水下随波流动 that moves with waves underwater,
当然，我们要造的这个系统 and the system that we're going to build, of course,
依靠太阳能来使海藻生长 will use solar energy to grow the algae,
有一点很好，海藻吸收二氧化碳 and they use CO2, which is good,
当海藻生长时，它们产生氧气 and they produce oxygen as they grow.
生长在容器里的海藻 The algae that grow are in a container that
将热量散发到周围水域 distributes the heat to the surrounding water,
你可以获取它们，从而制造生物燃料， and you can harvest them and make biofuels
化妆品，肥料和动物饲料 and cosmetics and fertilizer and animal feed,
当然，这个容器的体积必须要足够大 and of course you'd have to make a large area of this,
所以你就得考虑其它的利益相关者 so you'd have to worry about other stakeholders
譬如渔民和船只，诸如此类，但各位 like fishermen and ships and such things, but hey,
我们现在谈论的是生物燃料 we're talking about biofuels,
我们也知道 and we know the importance of potentially getting
获得一种的替代液体燃料的重要性 an alternative liquid fuel.
可为什么我们一定要用微藻？ Why are we talking about microalgae?
这个图表展示了不同种类的 Here you see a graph showing you the different types
被认为能够制造生物燃料的农作物 of crops that are being considered for making biofuels,
你可以看到一些熟悉的农作物，比如最左边的大豆 so you can see some things like soybean,
每英亩大豆每年出产50加仑生物燃料 which makes 50 gallons per acre per year,
再往右看还有向日葵，油菜，麻风树，棕榈树 or sunflower or canola or jatropha or palm, and that 然后最右边
那根最高的柱子展示了微藻的贡献 tall graph there shows what microalgae can contribute.
也就是说，每年每英亩面积的海藻能贡献 That is to say, microalgae contributes between 2,000
2000至5000加仑生物燃料 and 5,000 gallons per acre per year,
大豆只产50加仑，（和它相比简直是微不足道） compared to the 50 gallons per acre per year from soy.
那么什么是微藻呢？微藻是微小的东西 So what are microalgae? Microalgae are micro --
非常非常小，正如你们现在看到的 that is, they're extremely small, as you can see here
单细胞生物体——微藻 a picture of those single-celled organisms
与人类毛发的对比图 compared to a human hair.
那些微藻已经在地球上存在几百万年了 Those small organisms have been around
而且世界上有上千种 for millions of years and there's thousands
不同种类的微藻 of different species of microalgae in the world,
有一些是地球上生长速度最快的植物 some of which are the fastest-growing plants on the planet,
它们生产，正如我刚才给大家看的，大量的油 and produce, as I just showed you, lots and lots of oil.
那么下一个问题：为什么我们要在沿海地区做这个呢？ Now, why do we want to do this offshore?
我们在沿海地区做的原因是 Well, the reason we're doing this offshore is because
除了那些沿海城市，我们没有选择 if you look at our coastal cities, there isn't a choice,
因为我们要使用废水，正如我刚才说的 because we're going to use waste water, as I suggested,
看一下大多数被废水灌溉的植物的所在地 and if you look at where most of the waste water
它们都在城市里 treatment plants are, they're embedded in the cities.
这里是旧金山，拥有900英里的污水管 This is the city of San Francisco, which has 900 miles
位于城市底下 of sewer pipes under the city already,
这些污水管把污水排放到沿海地区 and it releases its waste water offshore.
尽管世界上不同的城市用不同方法处理污水 So different cities around the world treat their waste water
一些城市将污水加工 differently. Some cities process it.
一些城市只是排放污水 Some cities just release the water.
但是不管是哪种情况，排放的污水 But in all cases, the water that's released is
都完全足够微藻生长 perfectly adequate for growing microalgae.
让我们设想一下这个系统的样子 So let's envision what the system might look like.
我们称之为OMEGA We call it OMEGA, which is an acronym for
是Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae. （沿海微藻生长围场）的缩写
在NASA（美国国家航空航天局） At NASA, you have to have good acronyms. 你必须有好的缩写名字
这个系统怎么运作？我刚才已经透露给你们一些了 So how does it work? I sort of showed you how it works already.
我们把废水和二氧化碳放入 We put waste water and some source of CO2
流动的结构中 into our floating structure,
废水为微藻提供生长所需的营养物质 and the waste water provides nutrients for the algae to grow,
他们隔绝二氧化碳，阻滞它们 and they sequester CO2 that would otherwise go off
作为温室气体进入大气中。 into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas.
当然，他们适用能量来帮助生长， They of course use solar energy to grow,
表面的波浪能量提供能量 and the wave energy on the surface provides energy
混合海藻，温度 for mixing the algae, and the temperature
被周围水温所控制。 is controlled by the surrounding water temperature.
就像我刚才所说，海藻产生氧气， The algae that grow produce oxygen, as I've mentioned,
他们也产生生物燃料，化肥，和食物 and they also produce biofuels and fertilizer and food and
以及其它海藻副产品 other bi-algal products of interest.
这个系统是封闭的。是什么意思呢？ And the system is contained. What do I mean by that?
它是模型化的。让我们做一个 It's modular. Let's say something happens that's
完全出乎意料的假设。 totally unexpected to one of the modules.
假设它漏了。或假设它被闪电击中。 It leaks. It's struck by lightning.
流出来的废水是 The waste water that leaks out is water that already now
原本就应被排放到海里的， goes into that coastal environment, and
而那些藻类是会自然分解的， the algae that leak out are biodegradable,
因为他们本来就生活在废水中， and because they're living in waste water,
他们是淡水藻类，也就是说，他们无法 they're fresh water algae, which means they can't
生活在咸水中，他们就会死去。 live in salt water, so they die.
我们制造出的塑料是一种 The plastic we'll build it out of is some kind of
广泛使用的材料，效果很好， well-known plastic that we have good experience with, and
为了能使之重复利用，我们会重新构建模型。 we'll rebuild our modules to be able to reuse them again.
所以，当我们考虑我给你们展示的这个系统时， So we may be able to go beyond that when thinking about
我们可能要想个更远些，也就是说， this system that I'm showing you, and that is to say
我们需要从水，特别是淡水入手， we need to think in terms of the water, the fresh water,
因为淡水将是未来一个亟待解决的问题， which is also going to be an issue in the future,
我们现在就在研究开发 and we're working on methods now
重新利用废水的方法。 for recovering the waste water.
另一个需要考虑的就是这个结构本身， The other thing to consider is the structure itself.
它在海洋中为生物提供一个表层， It provides a surface for things in the ocean,
在海洋中，这个被海草和其他生物 and this surface, which is covered by seaweeds
覆盖的表层， and other organisms in the ocean,
会改善海洋栖息地， will become enhanced marine habitat
所以他会促进生物多样性的发展。 so it increases biodiversity.
最终，因为它是海岸边的结构， And finally, because it's an offshore structure,
我们还可以思考它如何促进 we can think in terms of how it might contribute
海岸边的水产养殖多样性。 to an aquaculture activity offshore.
你可能会觉得，“天哪，这听起来 So you're probably thinking, "Gee, this sounds
真是个好主意。而我们又该如何知道它是否成功呢？” like a good idea. What can we do to try to see if it's real?"
我在圣克鲁斯设立了一个实验室 Well, I set up laboratories in Santa Cruz
我的实验室就在加州渔猎局的场地， at the California Fish and Game facility,
那个研究室可以提供给我们大型的海水池 and that facility allowed us to have big seawater tanks
来测试我们的一些想法。 to test some of these ideas.
我们还在旧金山设了实验室， We also set up experiments in San Francisco
实验室就在三个处理废水的工厂之一， at one of the three waste water treatment plants,
这里也是用来测试我们的想法的。 again a facility to test ideas.
最后，由于我们想知道我们在哪里可以看到 And finally, we wanted to see where we could look at
这个结构对海洋环境的影响， what the impact of this structure would be
我们在一个叫做斯兰海洋实验室的地方 in the marine environment, and we set up a field site
设立了一个野外基地， at a place called Moss Landing Marine Lab
这个基地就在蒙特雷湾，我们在那的一个海港 in Monterey Bay, where we worked in a harbor
研究这个结构对海洋生物的影响。 to see what impact this would have on marine organisms.
我们设立在圣克鲁什的实验室是我们的臭鼬工厂。 The laboratory that we set up in Santa Cruz was our skunkworks.
我们在那培育藻类， It was a place where we were growing algae
焊接塑料制品，制造工具， and welding plastic and building tools
而我们也犯了许多错误 and making a lot of mistakes,
或者，像爱迪生说的那样，我们 or, as Edison said, we were
是在寻找失败的10000种方法。 finding the 10,000 ways that the system wouldn't work.
现在，我们在废水中培养藻类，制造可以 Now, we grew algae in waste water, and we built tools
干预藻类生活的工具， that allowed us to get into the lives of algae
这样我们就能监控他们的生长方式， so that we could monitor the way they grow,
并知道什么使他们快乐和怎样确保 what makes them happy, how do we make sure that
我们将创造一种环境让他们存活和壮大。 we're going to have a culture that will survive and thrive.
所以，我们需要开发的最重要的设备 So the most important feature that we needed to develop were these
就是光生物反应器，简称为PBRs。 so-called photobioreactors, or PBRs.
这些光生物反应器可以漂浮在 These were the structures that would be floating at the
由廉价的塑料材料覆盖的水面上， surface made out of some inexpensive plastic material
这些塑料材料可以让藻类生长，我们进行了 that'll allow the algae to grow, and we had built lots and lots
许多次的设计，但大部分都失败了， of designs, most of which were horrible failures,
当我们的设计最终成功时 and when we finally got to a design that worked,
我们用的只是30加仑的容器，在旧金山， at about 30 gallons, we scaled it up
我们按比例增加到了450加仑。 to 450 gallons in San Francisco.
让我给你们展示这个系统是怎样工作的。 So let me show you how the system works.
我们将含有我们选择的藻类的废水注入其中， We basically take waste water with algae of our choice in it,
然后我们让他们循环在这个漂浮着， and we circulate it through this floating structure,
管状的，可折叠的塑料结构中， this tubular, flexible plastic structure,
废水在这个东西中循环 and it circulates through this thing,
当然要在太阳照射下，因为它是在水面上的 and there's sunlight of course, it's at the surface,
这些藻类靠营养物生长。 and the algae grow on the nutrients.
但这个有点像把你的头放进塑料袋里。 But this is a bit like putting your head in a plastic bag.
只是藻类不会像我们一样 The algae are not going to suffocate because of CO2,
由于二氧化碳而窒息。 as we would.
他们窒息是因为他们产生了氧气， They suffocate because they produce oxygen, and they
他们也不是真正的窒息，但是他们产生的氧气 don't really suffocate, but the oxygen that they produce
成了他们的问题所在，他们用光了所有的二氧化碳。 is problematic, and they use up all the CO2.
所以，下一步需要做的是知道 So the next thing we had to figure out was how we could
怎样把氧气排除，我们制造了一个圆柱体 remove the oxygen, which we did by building this column
水在里面循环， which circulated some of the water,
我们在水循环之前把气泡打进去 and put back CO2, which we did by bubbling the system
因此CO2就被送了进去。 before we recirculated the water.
你们现在看到的这个雏形 And what you see here is the prototype,
就是我们第一次制造的圆柱体。 which was the first attempt at building this type of column.
后来在旧金山 The larger column that we then installed in San Francisco
我们安装了一个较大的圆柱体。 in the installed system.
因此，这个圆柱体事实上有一个非常好的特征， So the column actually had another very nice feature,
这是圆柱体里沉淀的水藻， and that is the algae settle in the column,
这样允许我们把藻类生物量 and this allowed us to accumulate the algal biomass
积累在一个容易收获的容器里。 in a context where we could easily harvest it.
我们将把集中在底部的 So we would remove the algaes that concentrated
藻类移走，我们就能按照程序 in the bottom of this column, and then we could
收获漂浮在表面的藻类 harvest that by a procedure where you float the algae
并有网子捞取。 to the surface and can skim it off with a net.
我们也想调查这个系统 So we wanted to also investigate what would be the impact
对海洋环境会产生的影响， of this system in the marine environment,
我提到过，我们的野外试验基地是 and I mentioned we set up this experiment at a field site
在Moss Landing海洋试验室。 in Moss Landing Marine Lab.
当然我们发现这种材料 Well, we found of course that this material became
会被海藻覆盖，我们就需要去 overgrown with algae, and we needed then to develop
设计一种清洁的方法， a cleaning procedure, and we also looked at how
我们也观察了海鸟类和海洋哺乳类的相互影响， seabirds and marine mammals interacted, and in fact you
你会看到一只海獭对此很感兴趣， see here a sea otter that found this incredibly interesting,
它时不时地穿梭于 and would periodically work its way across this little
这个小小的浮动水床，我们好想雇佣这个小家伙 floating water bed, and we wanted to hire this guy
或训练它能来清洁水面 or train him to be able to clean the surface
那只能等将来了。 of these things, but that's for the future.
我们真正在做的是， Now really what we were doing,
在研究四个领域。 we were working in four areas.
我们的研究包括这个系统的生物方面， Our research covered the biology of the system,
包括研究海藻的生长方式， which included studying the way algae grew,
也包括什么东西吃海藻，什么会杀死海藻。 but also what eats the algae, and what kills the algae.
我们用工程学来理解我们需要的东西 We did engineering to understand what we would need
能来建造这个结构， to be able to do to build this structure,
并不是个小规模，而是将建造 not only on the small scale, but how we would build it
我们最终需要的大规模的成品。 on this enormous scale that will ultimately be required.
我提到过我们观察过鸟类和海洋哺乳类 I mentioned we looked at birds and marine mammals
观察过这个系统对环境的影响 and looked at basically the environmental impact
最终，我们也考虑了经济因素， of the system, and finally we looked at the economics,
我所指的经济因素是， and what I mean by economics is,
要运行这个系统需要什么能源？ what is the energy required to run the system?
你是获得的能量多 Do you get more energy out of the system
还是投入到这个系统的多 than you have to put into the system
来确保系统运转？ to be able to make the system run?
那运作成本呢？ And what about operating costs?
资本又是多少呢？ And what about capital costs?
整个经济架构有如何? And what about, just, the whole economic structure?
这个可不是容易的， So let me tell you that it's not going to be easy,
在这四个领域中有大量的工作要做 and there's lots more work to do in all four
才能保证这个系统工作。 of those areas to be able to really make the system work.
但我们时间不多，我要给你们看的是 But we don't have a lot of time, and I'd like to show you
这看起来像是艺术家的构想， the artist's conception of how this system might look
在一个受保护的海湾 if we find ourselves in a protected bay
在某个地方，想象中我们的背景是 somewhere in the world, and we have in the background
污水处理场 in this image, the waste water treatment plant
和排放CO2的管道， and a source of flue gas for the CO2,
但当你考虑到这个系统的经济因素， but when you do the economics of this system,
你会发现这个很难运作的。 you find that in fact it will be difficult to make it work.
除非你看这个系统只是废水处理， Unless you look at the system as a way to treat waste water,
固碳，和潜在的太阳能光伏板 sequester carbon, and potentially for photovoltaic panels
或者海潮发电或风力发电的可能性， or wave energy or even wind energy,
如果你开始考虑 and if you start thinking in terms of
结合这些不同的活动， integrating all of these different activities,
你也能把海水养殖算进去。 you could also include in such a facility aquaculture.
所以我们会在这个系统中加上贝类养殖 So we would have under this system a shellfish aquaculture
我们会生产蚌类或扇贝。 where we're growing mussels or scallops.
我们会生产蛎 We'd be growing oysters and things
和生产高价值的产品和食品， that would be producing high value products and food,
那我们建造的这个系统将会带动市场 and this would be a market driver as we build the system
会发展越来越大， to larger and larger scales so that it becomes, ultimately,
最终会与制作燃料的这个想法相竞争。 competitive with the idea of doing it for fuels.
所以，总会带来一个大问题， So there's always a big question that comes up,
因为在海洋里用塑料名声会很糟 because plastic in the ocean has got a really bad reputation
所以我们一直在考虑从摇篮到摇篮(新的环保理念) right now, and so we've been thinking cradle to cradle.
我们如何处理这些 What are we going to do with all this plastic that we're
将要用在海洋环境里的塑料呢? going to need to use in our marine environment?
我不清楚你是否知道， Well, I don't know if you know about this,
在加州，有大量的塑料 but in California, there's a huge amount of plastic
用于地膜， that's used in fields right now as plastic mulch,
这些塑料就在制造这些小型的温室 and this is plastic that's making these tiny little greenhouses
是在地表面， right along the surface of the soil, and this provides
也提供了土地的温暖从而增加了生长季节， warming the soil to increase the growing season,
也允许我们控制杂草， it allows us to control weeds,
当然，也有效地利用了水分。 and, of course, it makes the watering much more efficient.
所以，OMEGA系统将会加入 So the OMEGA system will be part
这个成果，等我们完成 of this type of an outcome, and that when we're finished
它在海洋环境的使用， using it in the marine environment, we'll be using it,
希望我们会把它用于农地。 hopefully, on fields.
我们要把它放哪， Where are we going to put this,
它在近海会象个什么样子呢？ and what will it look like offshore?
这是我们在旧金山海湾会做的一个图像。 Here's an image of what we could do in San Francisco Bay.
旧金山一天产生六千五百万加仑的废水 San Francisco produces 65 million gallons a day
我们假设这个系统的有5天的保水时间， of waste water. If we imagine a five-day retention time
我们就需要容纳三亿两千五百加仑 for this system, we'd need 325 million gallons
那将是大约1280英亩的地方 to accomodate, and that would be about 1,280 acres
在旧金山湾漂浮着这些OMEGA模块。 of these OMEGA modules floating in San Francisco Bay.
比起整个海湾表面 Well, that's less than one percent
那只是不到百分之一。 of the surface area of the bay.
每年每英亩按生产2000加仑来算， It would produce, at 2,000 gallons per acre per year,
它将生产两百万加仑以上的燃料， it would produce over 2 million gallons of fuel,
那是旧金山所需生物柴油的大约20%， which is about 20 percent of the biodiesel,
或是旧金山所需柴油的20%， or of the diesel that would be required in San Francisco,
这是没有算任何的效率。 and that's without doing anything about efficiency.
这个系统还能放哪呢? Where else could we potentially put this system?
也有很多可能性。 There's lots of possibilities.
当然我提过的旧金山湾。 There's, of course, San Francisco Bay, as I mentioned.
圣地亚哥湾是另一个例子， San Diego Bay is another example,
莫比尔湾或切萨皮克湾，可现实是， Mobile Bay or Chesapeake Bay, but the reality is,
随着海平面的上升，将会有更多更多 as sea level rises, there's going to be lots and lots
新的机会可以考虑。(笑） of new opportunities to consider. (Laughter)
我现在讲的是一个 So what I'm telling you about is a system
融合各种活动的系统。 of integrated activities.
生物燃料产品整合了另外的能源 Biofuels production is integrated with alternative energy
与水产业相融合。 is integrated with aquaculture.
我将寻找一个途径 I set out to find a pathway
创新可持续生物燃料的生产， to innovative production of sustainable biofuels,
途中我发现真正持续性需要的是 and en route I discovered that what's really required
整合多过创新。 for sustainability is integration more than innovation.
长远来说， Long term, I have great faith
我对我们的集体和连接的独创性很有信心。 in our collective and connected ingenuity.
我认为我们能够完成的几乎没有限制 I think there is almost no limit to what we can accomplish
如果我们是完全开放的 if we are radically open
我们也不介意谁得到了荣誉。 and we don't care who gets the credit.
未来问题的可持续解决方案 Sustainable solutions for our future problems
将会多种多样 are going to be diverse
并会有很多。 and are going to be many.
我们需要样样都考虑 I think we need to consider everything,
从alpha（开头）到 OMEGA（结束）. everything from alpha to OMEGA.
谢谢！(掌声） Thank you. (Applause)
（掌声） (Applause)
Chris Anderson：Jonathan，我有个小问题 Chris Anderson: Just a quick question for you, Jonathan.
这个项目能继续在NASA内部进行 Can this project continue to move forward within
或你需要一些有雄心的绿色能源基金 NASA or do you need some very ambitious
参与来掌管它的命运。 green energy fund to come and take it by the throat?
Jonathan Trent：现在在NASA已经到了一个阶段 Jonathan Trent: So it's really gotten to a stage now
他们有意将这个在近海搞出点名堂 in NASA where they would like to spin it out into something
在美国境内做这个有很多的问题 which would go offshore, and there are a lot of issues
因为很多许可限制 with doing it in the United States because of limited
和取得许可需要的时间限制 permitting issues and the time required to get permits
在近海做实验。 to do things offshore.
现在，真的需要，业外人士 It really requires, at this point, people on the outside,
我们将彻底开放这个技术 and we're being radically open with this technology
我们要在外面启动它 in which we're going to launch it out there
对任何对此感兴趣的人 for anybody and everybody who's interested
承担起来让它成为现实。 to take it on and try to make it real.
CA:这很有趣。你们并不想申请专利。 CA: So that's interesting. You're not patenting it.
你要公布它。 You're publishing it.
JT：是的。 JT: Absolutely.
CA：好，非常感谢。 CA: All right. Thank you so much.
谢谢。（鼓掌） JT: Thank you. (Applause)