ALGAE in the near future, likely mandating concentration of the CO2 in flue gas and resulting in a pure carbon source, which would be ideal for algae cultivation. “We’ve got to watch what happens in terms of the legislative drivers,� Banks says. “I think power companies will be a source of CO2.� Banks and fellow University of Southampton researchers saw a correlation between the Algae Biofuels Challenge and their own extensive work with algae in wastewater treatment plants. “It was quite an attractive project for us to become involved in, particularly the opportunity to work with the other groups on this exciting science,� he says. A team at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory is working on key area No. 3, collecting natural algae samples from a diverse array of marine zones and using technology platforms developed at the lab to isolate high-oil strains. “In terms of cell isolation, we’ve got colleagues who have been working on this for about 20 years,� says Daniel White, PML marine natural products chemist and project manager. White’s team is experimenting with static cultures and using gas exchange to provide a carbon dioxide source for the small amount of algae it is growing for its work. The team submitted an application to be a part of the dream team because PML already had extensive experience in algae research. “As an organization, we’re interested in marine sources of renewable energy,� White says. “We’ve also got a policy to take an interest or develop marine-based low-carbon technologies so the program that Carbon Trust presented basically fulfilled some of those criteria for us and we thought we had the inherent expertise and skills to add to that.� The Carbon Trust does not anticipate using genetically modified algae strains in the Algae Biofuels Challenge, Graziano says, as natural strains are more than capable of getting the job done. “What we should be doing is looking to nature and isolating strains from nature that have been evolving for millions of years and understanding those strains and trying to
improve those strains using classical breeding techniques.� He adds that he thinks it’s important to bring a “reality check� to current algae research, as algal biofuel technology is so new and at least 10 years away from commercialization. “It’s a very important technology area,� Graziano emphasizes. “It will be vital to the future low-carbon economy that we’re trying to create. We do have to start now and
we believe that the best way to conduct this research is through a highly structured and well-coordinated program of research and development, which is hopefully, through the Algae Biofuels Challenge, what we’ve been able to create.� BIO Lisa Gibson is a Biomass Magazine associate editor. Reach her at lgibson@ bbiinternational.com or (701) 738-4952.
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