Although presently a small biofuel farm with only a small wind turbine, solar panel and a container of algae floating on water, Pennsylvania-based BEAR Oceanics envisions a fleet of tiny robots that could harvest the sea for algae which can then be converted to biodiesel.<\/p>\n
Six microbial genera will be used for the production of biodiesel which includes Spirulina<\/em> and Azolla<\/em>. As indigenous biomass is used, the problems of invasive species in the environment are overcome.<\/p>\n In laboratory settings, the algae were found to be resistant to environmental conditions, growing even in winter and doubling in mass every 92 minutes, representing a potentially self-sustaining source for biofuels.<\/p>\n When its harvest time, the robots fire an electric charge that bursts the algae cells to release lipid oils used to make biofuel. As a result,\u00a0hydrogenated vegetable oil like substances float on the surface, and the remaining sludge gets recycled into growing more algae.<\/p>\n And in lieu of using toxic chemicals to turn the algae oil into fuel, BEAR Oceanics works with thermal depolymerization, a process which uses the combination of heat and pressure.<\/p>\n