Next space rebels algae fuel6/21/2023 The Aquatic Species Program spent $25 million over 18 years with the goal of developing liquid transportation fuel from algae that would be price competitive with petroleum-derived fuels. Interest in the application of algae for biofuels was rekindled during the oil embargo and oil price surges of the 1970s, leading the US Department of Energy to initiate the Aquatic Species Program in 1978. Since the need for alternative transportation fuel had subsided after World War II, research at this time focused on culturing algae as a food source or, in some cases, for wastewater treatment. Aach showed that Chlorella pyrenoidosa could be induced via nitrogen starvation to accumulate as much as 70% of its dry weight as lipids. Following World War II, research began in the US, Germany, Japan, England, and Israel on culturing techniques and engineering systems for growing microalgae on larger scales, particularly species in the genus Chlorella. In 1942 Harder and Von Witsch were the first to propose that microalgae be grown as a source of lipids for food or fuel. In December 2022, ExxonMobile, the last large oil company to invest in algae biofuels, ended its research funding. When made from seaweed (macroalgae) it can be known as seaweed fuel or seaweed oil. Also, algae fuels are an alternative to commonly known biofuel sources, such as corn and sugarcane. A conical flask of "green" jet fuel made from algaeĪlgae fuel, algal biofuel, or algal oil is an alternative to liquid fossil fuels that uses algae as its source of energy-rich oils.
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