Venture aims to make biocrude out of algae

U.S. Energy Dept., company partner to seek cost-effective production

A California company and a Department of Energy research lab have announced that they’re teaming up to make oil out of algae

Sandia’s investment in related research goes back five years, says Grant Heffelfinger, a senior manager at the lab, providing time to build up expertise in “the challenge of understanding how and under what conditions” the process will work.

Algal oil is similar to soybean oil, which can also be used to produce biodiesel, but can be grown on marginal lands unsuitable for food crops and even in brackish water, LiveFuels said.

MSNBC