Algae as Fuel Viability Advances
US – A team of Michigan State University scientists have invented a new technology that increases the odds of helping algae-based biofuels cross that gap and come closer to reality.
The current issue of Algal Research showcases the team’s invention — the environmental photobioreactor. The ePBR system is the world’s first standard algae growing platform, one that simulates dynamic natural environments.
Simply put, ePBR is a pond in a jar that helps identify, cultivate and test algal strains that have the potential to make the leap from lab to pond, proliferate in real-world, real-pond settings and produce the most oil.
Many scientists around the globe are looking for strains of algae that could become a sustainable source of alternative energy. A vexing problem they face, however, is that algal strains that perform well in labs often get stomped when it’s time to scale-up the experiment, said Ben Lucker, MSU research associate.
– See more at: http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/22609/algae-as-fuel-viability-advances#sthash.EXKsP4KP.dpuf
