Algae Research May Trigger Biofuel Boon

Sept. 18, 2015

A Japanese R&D firm successfully colonized algae in a pool that spans over a third of an acre, which represents a major step toward lowering the cost of producing biofuel from algae farms.

Leah Scully

Backed by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), IHI NeoG Algae LLC began cultivating a 100-m² pool of Botryococcus brounii for research and development purposes at its Yokohama, Japan site in 2011. These days, IHI NeoG Algae cultivates a pool with Enomoto algae that’s 15 times larger. The algae demonstrate a phenotype that will further lower the cost for wide-scale production.

This gallery provides some of the key points about the potential of algae as a main source of biofuel.