OSU scientists turning algae into sustainable energy

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Story Published: Mar 13, 2008 at 7:46 AM PST

By Molly Blancett

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CORVALLIS - It doesn't look pretty, more like the scum you find floating in your fish tank or the stuff you avoid looking at on the coast. But, that green goo might be the answer to our nation's gas crisis.

"It's one of the most potential sources for meeting our energy needs," said OSU Assistant Professor of Biological and Ecological Engineering Ganti Murthy.

At the Oregon State University sustainable technologies lab, scientists have been studying algae for more than a year.

"We can use algae in many different possible ways," said Murthy.

The most significant? Transforming it into bio-diesel and ethanol. And the process? Well, you don't have to have a PhD to figure it out. It all starts with a tub of water and light, to help the algae grow.

Scientists then take a cup of concentrated algae. Then, they separate the oils from the sugars, which are then used to produce bio-diesel and and ethanol.

Murthy said algae can grow anywhere from the tropics to the arctic circle, in fresh and saltwater, and even in waste water.

"That's what we are trying to use so that we use a waste resource that doesn't cost us anything to make something that's useful," said Murthy. "That's basically the whole point in this lab."

Though the real benefits may be five to ten years down the line, Murthy said they're on their way to scientific greatness.

"We have a very big potential," said Murthy. "If we are able to do it, it will be a significant breakthrough."

A single acre of algae can produce more than eight hundred gallons of bio-diesel. To put that in perspective-that's nearly sixteen times the potential of an acre of soybeans.

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