Bioreactors on a Chip Renew Promises for Algal Biofuels
Researchers from the Cornell-affiliated Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and Texas A&M University have found an exciting new technology that may revolutionize the search for the perfect algal strain: algal droplet bioreactors on a chip.
A single algal cell is captured in a tiny droplet of water encapsulated by oil and millions of algal droplets squeeze onto a chip about the size of a quarter. Each droplet is a micro-bioreactor, a highly controlled environment in which algal cells can grow and replicate for several days, forming a genetically homogenous colony that goes through its typical biological reactions, including the production of lipids.
