New Golden Age of the Algal Technology

Abstract

Several days ago, a letter from a high school student who previously participated in the algae research in my laboratory got my attention. He is working on the senior project, which is based on his algae knowledge. To finish the essay, he asked a whole bunch of questions. Answering his questions will clarify why we like the algal technology during this new golden age of renewable energy. When reviewing the history of algae research, we have to mention Aquatic Species Program, which is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded program to develop renewable transportation fuels from algae between 1978-1996. This program provided large amount of information about algae. Recently, due to concerns like the depletion of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, many companies/ventures invested huge chunks of money into algae projects. Then algae studies come back to the U.S. DOE's agenda. Algae are present in all existing habitats where light is available. Algae can potentially produce 1,000-4,000 gallons of oil/acre/yr, which is significantly higher than soybeans (48 gallons of oil/acre/yr) and other oil crops. Algae are not traditional foods or feeds. They can be cultivated in large open ponds or in closed photobioreactors located on non-arable land, and can grow under a wide variety of climate and water conditions.