As non-renewable energy sources are gradually being depleted, we must find potential renewable means to sustain us. The exploration of algae as fuel alternative dates back to 1978 and still continues to this day. Researchers from Western Washington University led by Greg O’Neil and Chris Reddy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution collaborated to produce two different fuel products- jet fuel and biodiesel, from a single algal species called Isochrysis.
Isochrysis was chosen for this research because it is already produced in large batches by fish food manufacturers and it is one of the few species in the world which is capable of producing fats called alkenones. The first step of the process was extracting the fatty acids in algae called FAMEs, or fatty acid methyl esters, using gas chromatography. To produce the biodiesel, researchers developed a method to separate FAMEs and alkenones. The result is a free-flowing fuel with superior quality. Since alkenones are chains of 37 to 39 carbons and these long chains are not small enough to utilize as jet fuel, the researchers employed a chemical reaction called olefin metathesis to break alkenones into pieces which only consist of 8 to 13 carbons. These smaller pieces of alkenones are then ideal to use as jet fuel, the second fuel product.
Producing two biofuels from one single algal species propels us towards the positive direction in our quest for sustainable fuels. With this research in progress and working to further advance the results, such as producing the fuels in larger quantities and searching for other products which can be derived from alkenones, our vision for green energy and minimized petroleum dependence won’t be as distant after all.
