Algae experiments aim to improve
photosynthesis, photo by Tom
Hausmann (PNNL)

Algae Fuel: A Growth Industry

Liz Jones
10/05/2007

High gas prices and climate concerns shine a spotlight on the need for alternative fuel sources. Crops like soy and canola are currently processed for biofuel. But many scientists say that's a first-generation approach. And it's limited. But the next generation is on the horizon. And one new fuel source getting lots of attention is green and slimy and grows in ponds. KUOW's Liz Jones has the story in this final part of our two-part series on a new wave of biofuel.

TRANSCRIPT

WHEN MICHAEL HUESEMANN TALKS ABOUT ALGAE, SOMETIMES HE SHOUTS.

HUESEMANN: "This would be perfect, perfect substitute for crude oil if one can grow this on a large scale. But you need to work with algae that grow very fast."

HUESEMANN'S A SCIENTIST WITH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY IN SEQUIM, WASHINGTON.

FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS, HE'S EXPERIMENTED WITH THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO CONVERT ALGAE TO FUEL.

IN HIS LAB, HE POINTS OUT TWO GLASS BOTTLES FILLED WITH WATER. A LIGHT SHINES THROUGH FROM BEHIND, PICKING UP SOME FLECKS OF GREEN.

HUESEMANN: "In a few days they will get denser and denser and at some point you couldn't even look through the bottle anymore. They are maybe just a few days old. And when they're dense enough, we could in theory harvest them and extract biofuels."

THAT'S PART OF WHAT MAKES ALGAE A PROMISING FUEL SOURCE, IT GROWS LIKE CRAZY JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE, INCLUDING DESERTS OR WASTELAND AREAS. THAT MEANS IT DOESN'T USE UP VALUABLE FARMLAND, A CRITICISM OF OTHER BIOFUEL CROPS.

AND, ALGAE'S NOT JUST SLIMY, IT'S PACKED WITH OIL.

HUESEMANN'S RESEARCH FOCUSES ON TWO ASPECTS OF ALGAE: HOW FAST CAN YOU GROW IT? AND HOW MUCH OIL CAN YOU SQUEEZE OUT? ESSENTIALLY, HE MANIPULATES PHOTOSYNTHESIS TO GROW A MORE OILY PLANT THAN MOTHER NATURE CAN, AND FASTER.

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FUNDS PART OF HUESEMANN'S RESEARCH. AND IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME THE D.O.E.'S DABBLED IN ALGAE. FOLLOWING THE OIL SHOCK OF THE 1970S, THE DEPARTMENT FUNDED NEARLY 20 YEARS OF RESEARCH ON ALGAE'S POTENTIAL TO REPLACE CRUDE OIL.

HUESEMANN'S WORK WILL HELP DETERMINE WHETHER ALGAE FUEL CAN COMPETE FINANCIALLY WITH PETROLEUM.

HUESEMANN: "If you increase the energy conversion efficiency, the cost of the biofuel should go down accordingly. So that's one of the more important research areas, among other things."

WHILE HUESEMANN FOCUSES ON GROWING ALGAE, OTHERS ARE RACING TO FIND THE BEST WAY TO EXTRACT THE PLANT'S OIL AND TURN IT INTO FUEL.

ONE SUCH COMPANY IS A SEATTLE-BASED START-UP, INVENTURE CHEMICAL.

IT RECEIVES SHIPMENTS OF ALGAE FROM ARIZONA. THE LATEST ONE SITS IN A WAREHOUSE DOWNTOWN, READY FOR PROCESSING.

TEGAN: "This is kind of a wet algae cake. This is about 2,700 pounds."

THE COMPANY'S C.E.O., MARK TEGAN, LIFTS THE TOP OFF A FOUR-FOOT TALL BOX, ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF A GARBAGE DUMPSTER. THE ALGAE INSIDE LOOK LIKE FROZEN SPINACH, PACKED IN LARGE, CLEAR BAGS. THIS BULK WILL PROCESS DOWN TO JUST ABOUT 20 GALLONS OF BIOFUEL.

BUT TEGAN SAYS INVENTURE HAS BIG PLANS TO EXPAND ITS ALGAE OPERATION.

TEGAN: "The next step is going to build a system that will produce anywhere from 500,000 to a million gallons at a power plant site. It's probably be anywhere from 100 to 250 acres of algae ponds, and then we would build a biofuel production on site adjacent to the ponds.

THAT'S ONE EMERGING BUSINESS MODEL FOR ALGAE: TO GROW IT NEXT TO CARBON-EMITTING POWER PLANTS. IT'S A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP, ALGAE ABSORB THE CO2 THE PLANTS WANT TO GET RID OF.

FOR NOW, INVENTURE IS KEEPING THINGS ON A SMALLER SCALE TO FINE-TUNE ITS PROCESS. IT'S ALREADY DEVELOPED A WAY TO TURN ALGAE INTO BIODIESEL AND ETHANOL. AND EARLY BATCHES OF A FUEL FOR JETS SHOW PROMISE.

TEGAN: "You could fly with the stuff we made. I think the afterburner might, you know, might not have the punch you're looking for. But yeah, that material could fly."

TEGAN CONCEDES THAT MIXTURE WOULDN'T MEET F.A.A. STANDARDS, SO IT BACK TO THE TEST LAB.

BACK AT THE LAB IN SEQUIM, SCIENTIST MICHAEL HUESEMANN LOOKS AT THE FOREST OUTSIDE HIS OFFICE WINDOW. IT'S CLEAR ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS MOTIVATE HIS WORK. A SIGN ON HIS OFFICE DOOR POINTS TO ANOTHER REASON.

HUESEMANN: "This is a bumper sticker called renewable energy is homeland security ... and I guess the meaning should be obvious."

A DOMESTIC FUEL SOURCE MEANS LESS DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL. A TALL ORDER, AND ALGAE'S ROLE IN THAT IS UNCLEAR. BUT AN INCREASING NUMBER OF SCIENTISTS AND ENTREPRENEURS ARE BETTING THEIR TIME AND MONEY THAT IT'S WORTH A CLOSER LOOK. IN SEQUIM, WASHINGTON, I'M LIZ JONES, KUOW NEWS.

© Copyright 2007, KUOW