The next time you’re lazily wading in the crisp water of Barton Springs, pay attention to the slippery ground beneath your feet. That gooey, green pond scum you feel on your skin is algae; and it turns out this aquatic flora is more than meets the eye. Scientists are now discovering that algae contains all the necessary ingredients to not only make our air cleaner, but also produce green, safe, renewable biofuel. In fact, it may in part lead the charge in the 21st century energy revolution: helping fuel factories, homes and even powering your car.

These ubiquitous plants are currently being harvested on a microalgal, or unicellular, level for research among a number of United States and United Kingdom biofuel firms. A six-hour drive south of Austin will bring you to the small town of Rio Honda, home of the PetroSun energy company. As the only commercial “algae-to-biofuel” facility in Texas, PetroSun boasts more than 1,000 acres of aquatic farmland. However, it’s just one company betting big on algae as a paradigm-shifting energy source. Like many other algae-to-fuel enterprises, PetroSun is still in the exploratory stages of its production.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Algae produce energy in the form of lipids and carbohydrates which are eventually converted into usable fuel. There is some interest on the transformation of carbohydrates into ethanol, but most of the focus is on cultivating algal lipids to create energy-dense biodiesel.

Regardless of the fuel type, these aquatic plants only require sunlight, water and carbon dioxide (CO2) to create energy. That’s right: algae survive on our pollution.

“One of the benefits of using algae is that it functions best in an atmosphere with a higher concentration of CO2,” explains Professor Malcolm Brown Jr., a microbiology researcher at the University of Texas. “So, actually, the best condition for algae photosynthesis is right next to a coal factory.”

Or a beer factory. Solix Biofuels, a research facility based in Fort Collins, Colorado, has teamed up with New Belgium Brewery to redefine green beer. Supported by Colorado State University, Solix is researching algae that feed on the CO2 waste produced during the beer-brewing process.

An energy source that cleans up air pollution as part of its own production is impressive. Algae biofuel contains no sulfur, is non-toxic and highly biodegradable. Plus the aquatic plant can be harvested year-round, in any water source, and without the land limits of traditional sources like corn and soybeans. Algae are happy in undrinkable wastewater and they do not compete with food crops for land.

Brown, along with fellow researcher Dr. David Nobles Jr., have created their very own blue-green algae called cyanobacteria. They believe algae have a good chance to replace current transportation fuels such as petroleum. It seems the timing of this algae excitement could not be better.

“We are beginning to hit the bottom,” says Brown. “We will run out of oil.”

Nobles and Brown agree that creating our own renewable fuel source can also increase U.S. energy security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and improving the lives of individuals through local job creation.

Does this sound too good to be true? Perhaps. For starters, it’s not going to be cheap. Alternatives to conventional fuels always cost more initially and algae biofuel is no different. And it’s still in its infancy.

Chris Blazek, an expert in energy economics, emphasizes just how futuristic it is to fill up your tank on algae biodiesel. Blazek, the current marketing vice president of Benetech — a company specializing in coal safety products and services — has served on the National Biodiesel Board.

He says the good news is that algae have a chance to compete with the best of fuel technologies. But according to Blazek, you’ll have to wait 20 years to find it at your corner gas station. And if another vehicle-powering method — say, electric cars — becomes extremely affordable in the near future, algae biofuel may no longer be pursued.

“Algae are still a ‘way out’ technology,” says Blazek. “And many times, emerging technologies never reach the commercial development stage, even if they’re technically feasible.”

Believe it or not, algae biofuel development is now more than 30 years in the making. A familiar fuel crisis in the mid-1970s inspired President Carter and his administration to establish the first federal laboratory dedicated to what we now consider “green” energy.

In 1978, the newly established Department of Energy (DOE) initiated the Aquatic Species Program (ASP) to research the use of plant life as a source of transportation fuels. More than 3,000 microalgae strains were discovered in ponds and oceans during the ASP. Biologists have categorized these strains by distinguishing features such as life cycle and basic cellular structure; not all are conducive to lipid extraction.

The program dissolved 17 years later when the DOE eliminated funding. Today, algae biofuel research is a collaboration of large, well-financed oil companies and research institutions. The research is partly conducted to determine which strains produce the highest percentage of lipids for biofuel creation. Most of these institutions are discovering that these strains require genetic modification to efficiently produce fuel.

If and when algae are effectively modified, the sky truly is the limit. Algae can power cars and planes. Not even ethanol can do that. Fuel burning at high altitudes must be extremely energy-dense and should never freeze. So, in other words, these jet fuels will require lipid-derived biodiesel.

For all the biodiesel skeptics out there, Continental Airlines quieted any initial doubts about the safety of flying an aircraft on biodiesel in early 2009. The airline became the first U.S. commercial carrier to conduct a demonstration flight partly powered by alternative fuels. The 1 hour and 45 minute flight was powered by biodiesel derived from algae and jatropha plants in one of the two jet engines. The oil from jatropha, a Central American bush with plum-like fruit, is derived from the plant’s seeds and converted into biofuel.

The flight ran smoothly on both engines, proving that algae and jatropha can compete with traditional jet fuels. Nevertheless, Nobles, among other researchers, reminds us that this aquatic plant needs further research and modification before becoming a full-time employee in the commercial energy market.

And if algae decides to change jobs, there are many employers ready to make an offer. The aquatic plant already has experience as a nutritional supplement, pharmaceutical agent, organic fertilizer, textile component and cosmetic ingredient. It can even bake your next birthday cake. Who knew the slime of Barton Springs had such a diverse portfolio?