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Trent's plan is to grow freshwater algae in nutrient-rich waste water inside semi-permeable plastic membranes. The natural salinity of the ocean will draw the freshwater out, retaining the plants and nutrients. The membranes prevent saltwater from getting inside and killing the plants, while ocean waves keep the algae mixed and healthy. The process treats the sewage water, which is then released into the ocean, and after the algae is harvested, the plastic bags can be recycled.
Trent 的计划是将清水海藻种植在充满富营养废水的半透塑料薄膜里。自然海水的盐度会使得半透膜内的纯水流出来，而植物和营养物依然留在膜内。薄膜还可以防止盐水进入薄膜内部从而杀死海藻，同时潮水的涨落保持着海藻健康而均匀地分布着。种植的过程将废水处理成洁净的水排入海中，而且在收获完海藻后，那些塑料袋也是可以回收的。
The concept already has been demonstrated in laboratories, in part supported by $400,000 from Google earmarked for NASA sustainable energy projects. This week, the city of Santa Cruz expressed support for letting its municipal waste water be used in a pilot demonstration project in the Pacific Ocean, Trent said. The project also is under consideration for an $800,000 alternative energy grant from the state of California.
这个概念已经在实验室里进行可行性实验了，得到了美国宇航局谷歌公司专项可持续能源计划40万美元的部分支持。Trent表示，Santa Cruz市也于本周表示愿意将他们的城市废水用于一项在太平洋上的示范性试验项目。这项计划同时也在另一项加州80万美金的能源拨款考虑之中。
"The big problem is going to be scaling it up ... and figuring out how to deal with storms at sea," Trent said.
Trent说：“未来的大问题是成规模种植......还要制定出对付海上风浪的方案。”
"But this country is good at engineering things," he added. "To quote Harry Truman, 'There's no limit to what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.'"
他又说到：“但这个国家工程实力是很强的，杜鲁门总统曾经说过‘当荣誉不属于某个个体时，所能获得的成就是无穷的’。”
An offshore algae farm could have some serious environmental issues, points out Carmela Cuomo, a marine scientist at the University of New Haven in Connecticut who is researching algae strains for biofuel use.
康涅狄克州纽黑文大学专攻海藻菌株生物能用途的水文学家Carmela Cuomo指出，海中的海藻养殖场可能会产生很严重的环境问题。
"I'm not knocking the idea, but I'd want to know a lot more about it," she told Discovery News.
她接受探索新闻采访时说：“我不是不看好这个想法，但是我必须对它有更深入的研究和认识，才能做出更加准确的判断。”
Cuomo said waste water that has been treated enough to be dumped into the ocean probably wouldn't have enough nutrients for algae to thrive, and untreated waste water could pose a threat if the membrane should rip. She also pointed out that the algae farms would have to be fairly close to the ocean's surface for sunlight to penetrate, which could be an issue for boaters.
Cuomo认为这种方法完全处理过的废水将不再含有足够海藻生存的养分，而且如果薄膜破裂，还没有处理的废水将会对环境有危害。她还提到这些海藻牧场必须得十分靠近海洋表面以获得足够的阳光，从而得到生长。可是这样做的话对于小船在海上的顺利航行又是一大问题。
The main problem with algae, whether grown on land or sea, is how to get enough of it. "To be able to replace a Shell (Oil Co.), you're going to need a lot of algae."
其实不论是种在海上还是陆地上，海藻最大的问题是如何才能获得足够的量。“得需要极多的海藻才能替代一家壳牌机油。” 上一页 [1] [2] 【已有很多网友发表了看法，点击参与讨论】【对英语不懂，点击提问】【英语论坛】【返回首页】
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