Powerful Ideas: Wringing Oil From Algae

Algae come in all sizes and shapes: from single-celled microbes in pond scum to 100-foot-long seaweeds in kelp forests. They can live in salty, fresh and even waste water.

The speed at which algae grow can overwhelm marine habitats and fish tanks, but that same productivity could make these organisms the best choice for supplying biofuels. Attracted by this potential, researchers and entrepreneurs are trying to reduce the costs of current harvesting methods.

The relation between algae and fuel actually goes back millions of years. The remains of ancient algae are generally thought to have mulched into the petroleum we now pump up from underground.

“We’re sort of going ‘back to the future’ in making biofuels with living algae,” said Thomas Byrne, a Minnesota-based renewable energy consultant and secretary of the Algal Biomass Organization.

Despite there being no big algae farms to lobby for it, algae-based biofuels have been getting a fair amount of support. The airline industry, in particular, is considering algae biofuels as a way to reduce its carbon footprint. This past January, Continental Airlines flew the first commercial test flight with algae-derived jet fuel.

Total private investment in the bourgeoning algae industry has been more than $500 million