America run's on Algae

In the past several decades, there has been great interest in growing algae in artificial pools, skipping a few steps and a few million years, and creating renewable “biofuels” in days to weeks. Sparked by the 1970s energy crisis, numerous programs to produce alternative fuels were launched. From 1978 to 1996, the U.S. Department of Energy sponsored the Aquatic Species Program, which was charged with finding ways to convert algae into transportation fuel, mainly biodiesel. But it is never easy trying to accelerate a process that nature takes her time with. The program generated research inroads into the problem, but it petered out when estimated costs to produce fuels proved too expensive.

Algae can be converted into various types of fuels, depending on the technique and the

part of the cells used. The lipid, or oily part of the algae biomass can be extracted and converted into biodiesel through a process similar to that used for any other vegetable oil, or converted in a refinery into "drop-in" replacements for petroleum-based fuels. Alternatively or following lipid extraction, the carbohydrate content of algae can be fermented into bioethanol or butanol fuel.[40]

Several years ago, these performance qualities and environmental benefits persuaded the U.S. Department of Energy to fund research into the real-world viability of algal biofuel. Led by Los Alamos, a consortium identified the best alga strain and the best cultivation and harvesting methods. The consortium also modeled the economics, from cultivating algae in ponds and tanks to producing fuel from refineries.