Algae have emerged as a rising star among renewable fuels. But like any celebrity, the microorganisms still need the essentials to survive. The environmental footprint of providing algae with nutrients and water must be considered in judging whether algae will be competitive with other plant-based fuels, researchers report online January 19 in Environmental Science & Technology.
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Microalgae are single-celled photosynthesizers. They make fats that can be converted into biodiesel or jet fuel in relatively few steps. The organisms have become a fledgling favorite in the renewable energy sector. On January 14 the U.S. Department of Energy announced an investment of $44 million in efforts to commercialize algae-based fuels, and last summer even ExxonMobil Corp. jumped onto the band-pontoon, announcing a partnership with scientist Craig Venter’s Synthetic Genomics Inc. to develop algae as a fuel source.
While the aquatic microorganisms show promise — algae are extremely efficient at converting carbon dioxide into biomass and don’t require a lot of land — they also come with trade-offs, the new analysis reports.