Skip Kemp, instructor of CCC’s aquaculture program use Bogue Sound for algae cultivation

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Mr. Kemp and his students start the process of creating “oilgae” by collecting phytoplankton (microscopic algae) from Bogue Sound, then growing it in special ponds. As the water is pumped from the sound into the ponds, a filter separates the phytoplankton from other microscopic animals that would eat it.

The phytoplankton is fertilized to speed up the growth process. It only takes a few days to grow a harvestable crop, which is one reason it’s attractive as a potential fuel source.

The algae-rich water is pumped from the pond into a centrifuge, where the algae are separated from the pond water through a spinning process. The algae create a thick, dark paste, which is scraped from the sides of the centrifuge.

The oil-rich paste is spread into a thin layer on a flat surface and placed in a dehydrator to be dried out. The end result is a series of thin pieces of a dark substance that almost looks like beef jerky. Those pieces are highly flammable from the high concentration of oil.

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