LightWorks Blog

Arizona is famous (or infamous) for its dry, desert climate, and abundance of sun and land. This also makes it a prime location for farming algae. Additionally, because of the state’s coal-fired power plants, there is currently a mass quantity of carbon dioxide that will help enhance algae growth and production.

Algae production, as opposed to some biofuels, has a higher yield from fewer resources, and it can be farmed on non-potable land (unlike corn used for ethanol). Scientists have known for some time that algae are rich in lipids and oils that can be extracted and converted to fuel. ASU researchers have discovered certain algal strains that are particularly rich in oils and have built more efficient bioreactors to harvest those strains. The bioreactors are filled with water, nutrients, and algae; when exposed to the sun, algae growth is accelerated. These bioreactors can be found on a variety of buildings on both the Tempe and Polytechnic campuses along with the Intel Ocotillo facility in Chandler. ASU researchers have also begun developing methods to use algae for biodiesel and jet biofuel.

ASU’s AzCati facility and Laboratory for Algae Research and Biotechnology (LARB) have received several million dollars in grants from a variety of sources including Science Foundation Arizona, Heliae Development, and the Department of Energy.

In 2009, the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) rated Phoenix, AZ as the top potential place for algal biofuel production in the United States.

Last year’s Algal Biomass Summit (ABO) drew about 800 of the world’s leading industry representatives and energy scientists to showcase algal research right in the prominent algal-fuel research hub that is Phoenix.

ASU’s Bruce Rittman, director of the Center of Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute says the technology needed to mass-produce algae technology is about 4 or 5 years away, but the U.S. infrastructure required to make algae a major fuel source is about 15 to 20 years away. However, Rittman notes that when the U.S. is finally poised to begin using algae as a major fuel source, Arizona will reap great benefits.

Rittman also says, “There is a growing realization in this country and around the world of the importance of sustainability. We have to shift away from fossil fuels, especially petroleum. There are skeptics who say biofuels are too expensive, but when you factor in things like climate change and the eventual cost of that, we don’t look expensive at all.”

What Rittman draws attention to is the necessity for continued research and development so that researchers are able to find ways to drop the current cost of algae biofuel from $20 per gallon to $4 or $5 per gallon. Costs alone are not isolated to production. If we factor in military pursuits, costs of human lives, and the various effects on climate and the environment, the cost of oil is much higher than often reported, and these factors should be reflected in comparisons because those externalities come at a price.

ASU researchers continue to develop new technology and methodologies for algal biofuel. Algae biofuel production offers a sustainable, renewable energy source with great potential, and Arizona is the prime locale in which to produce it.

Learn more about ASU’s algae research facilities, researchers, and presence at the upcoming ABO Summit in Minneapolis, MN.

ASU student Joshua Wray is receiving accolades and funding for his work in producing fertilizer from algae biomass that is harvested for biofuel at ASU Polytechnic’s AzCATI facilities. Wray is a doctoral student pursuing a degree in molecular and cellular biology. Along with fellow graduate students Martha Kent and Emil Puruhito, Wray has secured funding by way of the Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative, a grant that will supply office space, funds, and training to produce an organic, sustainable fertilizer from algae.

Wray’s work with algal biofuel has led not only to the creation of a sustainable algae fertilizer but in finding innovations for new bioreactor designs. He submitted a proposal for a new waste water management design to the National Water Research Institute (NRWI) and was awarded a $5000 fellowship for two years.

Speaking about the award Wray said, “I am very excited for being chosen as an NWRI fellowship recipient. I was glad to see NWRI’s enthusiasm for my project."

The fellowship will supplement his dissertation research and allow him to collect data in both the field and real world conditions by developing new technology. Wray is excited about the growing algae field and hopes that his research will contribute to its further development including the possibilities it offers in job creation and economic growth.

“I have always been a technical person and interested in learning something new, which happens every day in the LARB, but it is also important to me to have my work be directly applicable in the real world, which my Edson Venture and NWRI projects let me do,” Wray said.

Congratulations to Joshua Wray for his awards and for his contributions to a burgeoning area of algae research!

Arizona State’s commitment to sustainability grows stronger every day, and we prove it. Past, present, and future solar projects at ASU not only demonstrated ASU’s determination to power their buildings with clean, renewable energy, they also taught students and the community about the important of sustainability and the role that it is going to play in the future.

The NCIIA Open Minds 2011 Conference, held in Washington DC this year, is a public exhibition where students from all over can demonstrate their talent. This conference involved teams from Purdue University, Duke University, John Hopkins University, and of course, Arizona State University, to name a few.

ASU students showcased two energy products, one of which is being tested in Domeabra, Ghana. The first of the two products is a Gel-Fuel stove that uses ASU-produced ethanol which allows it to burn cleanly. The main objective of this prototype is provide a clean burning stove that decreases health risks and the environmental impact, thus providing a more sustainable way of living.

The second product is called the Twig Light and produces clean electric light from current waste energy like twigs. The Twig Light is comprised of a thermoelectric generator, a combustion chamber in the upper section, and a pan of water in the lower section. Material such as twigs are placed into the upper chamber and heated, providing a temperature difference between the upper and lower sections. Once this occurs, the thermoelectric generator starts and sends a current that powers the light.

Combining young entrepreneurship and sustainability seems to be a match made in heaven. Phil Weilerstein, Executive Director if the NCIIA, believes that society has a strong need for young entrepreneurs. He stated that "The need for innovation and entrepreneurial engineers is at an all-time high…NCIIA is looking forward to applying its expertise to helping universities build cultures of innovation on their campuses, and to supporting the entrepreneurial endeavors of engineering students and faculty."