Five students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created an algae growth contraption from old computer parts and other waste materials that they say can help replace fossil fuels and bring algae growth for biofuel production down to the household level.<\/p>\n
Bio-Grow was assembled with the side panels of an Apple G4 CPU tower, PVC piping and acrylic panels for structural support, an Apple iMac CRT for light and heat, and high-density foam for stability and insulation, according to team member and undergraduate student Megan Kenney. The iMac is controlled by a modified Dell Latitude CPX and supported by wood to keep it standing up on its back. A water pump aerates the algae and a faucet allows for extraction. A heat sink from a CPU was also used, along with copper coil found in a monitor to absorb much of the heat from the CRT and direct it into the algae tank, heating the tank while cooling the CRT.<\/p>\n
If 6.5 percent of Americans had one in their homes, it could generate the amount of algae needed to replace petroleum with biodiesel, according to the team\u2019s calculations.<\/p>\n