ASU Awarded $6 Million for Biofuel Research
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Arizona State University a $6 million grant as part of a program focused on algae-based biofuels.
The program supports the development of a clean, sustainable transportation sector – a goal of DOE’s continued effort to spur the creation of a domestic bio-industry while creating jobs. This round of DOE funding totals $24 million for three research groups to tackle key hurdles in the commercialization of algae-based biofuels.
The ASU-led group, the Sustainable Algal Biofuels Consortium, will focus on testing the acceptability of algal biofuels as replacements for petroleum-derived fuels. The group will investigate biochemical conversion of algae to fuels and products, and analyze the physical chemistry properties of algal fuels and fuel intermediates. In addition to ASU, other core members of the consortium are the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colo., and Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque.
