UNL Hopes to Tap Into Algae as Energy Source

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Algae may be the next frontier for biofuels, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is poised to be among the nation's leaders in this research.

Part of the greenhouse complex at UNL's Beadle Center will be revamped into an algal biofuels research facility this year. Scientists will begin growing algae in small containers, then move on to five-foot long bags and, finally, a "raceway" – a small, oblong pool – as they seek answers to two key questions:

– What algae cultivars are best suited for biofuel development? There are at least 200,000 different algae, and ultimately genetic modification may play a role in engineering algae to produce the most lipids – specifically, triglycerides – possible for conversion to fuel.

– How can the triglycerides be most cost-effectively extracted from the algae to produce biofuel?

UNL already has received $1.9 million in federal funding for the research. It's also in line for tens of millions more in funding for several related research angles, including one that would couple this new research with UNL's already robust corn-ethanol byproducts research.

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Algae Advocates Praise EPA Findings

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The EPA in its Renewable Fuels Standard found that biofuels could have a significant impact on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when compared with gasoline or diesel fuel. The finding now classifies algae-based biodiesel and renewable diesel as an "advanced biofuel" under U.S. federal guidelines. The EPA announcement is in step with a move by U.S. President Barack Obama to reach a comprehensive climate deal.

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Algae Knew about Quantum Mechanics 2 bln yrs Before Humans

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In a new study, a team of chemists from the University of Toronto in Canada have observed quantum mechanics at work in photosynthesis in marine algae, which suggests algae knew about quantum mechanics nearly two billion years before humans.

"Our latest experiments show that normally functioning biological systems have the capacity to use quantum mechanics in order to optimize a process as essential to their survival as photosynthesis," said chemistry professor Greg Scholes, lead author of the study.

Scholes and his colleagues isolated light-harvesting complexes from two different species of marine algae and studied their function under natural temperature conditions using a sophisticated laser experiment known as two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy.

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