From Algae to Biocrude in One Minute Flat

In an effort to mimic the natural process that converts marine organisms into crude oil, researchers have found a way to transform green marine micro-alga (Nanochloropsis) into biocrude quickly and inexpensively.

Current methods used to create algae-based fuel require drying the algae so that the natural oils can be extracted, a process which costs upwards of $20 per gallon. The new method uses wet algae, which reduces cost up front. A small sample (1.5 ml) is placed in a steel pipe and heated to 1100 degrees Fahrenheit in a bed of sand. Because of the small volume, the temperature can be raised quickly, a factor that appears to be essential to the efficiency of the process. Within one minute, about 90 percent of the energy from the original algae was converted to oil.

The researchers estimate that, once an economical process for generating biofuel has been developed, enough could be produced in an area the size of New Mexico to meet current U.S. petroleum consumption.