Missouri researchers aim to grow algae for biofuels in abandoned mines

Backers of algae-based biofuels tout the simplicity of their feedstock. Sunlight and water are all that’s needed to convert carbon dioxide into fuel.

Now, some scientists are testing the notion that sunlight might be optional.

Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology are planning to grow algae for fuel in abandoned mines using light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.

“About this time in the conversation, someone usually raises their hand and says, ‘But it’s dark,’” said David Summers, a mining engineering professor. “That’s not necessarily a disadvantage.”

Algae need light to produce lipids, or oil, but they work best when they use only the red and blue parts of the light spectrum and when they are given time in the dark to process the photons, Summers said.

That is where LEDs come in, Summers said. They can be tailored to emit only the needed light frequencies, and they can be set to pulse several times a second at a rate that gives the algae time to absorb and process the light energy without wasting it.

“When it’s sunny, plants are totally saturated pretty early on in the day,” said D.J. Vidt, a graduate student. “Unless they get shade to process the photons, it’s basically wasted energy. We’re just shortening ours from hours to milliseconds … for efficiency.”

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Tags: algae in mines, biofuels, carbon dioxide, david summers, leds, light emitting diodes, light energy, mining for algae

This entry was posted on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 1:24 am and is filed under Consider This, Innovation, Project Energy, Scientific American. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.