USU USTAR Researcher Testifies Before U.S. Senate
Testifying before U.S. Congress, Utah State University researcher Jeff Muhs urged greater federal research investment in development of mass-scale technology to create algae biofuels.
At a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Muhs released a new report by Utah State University’s Energy Lab, “Algae Biofuels and Carbon Recycling.”
The report is the first comprehensive look into the opportunities and challenges of utilizing algae not only to create biofuel, but also to recycle carbon dioxide. The major new push is the concept of utilizing algae for CO2 recycling. Created as a collaborative effort with nine industry partners and several academic colleagues at other universities, the report also summarizes challenges to other methods of carbon sequestration and reuse.
Muhs emphasized to the committee the very real promise that algae biofuels could provide America a reliable source of liquid transportation fuel, with many important benefits.
“Growing algae, the most productive of all photosynthetic life on earth, and converting it into fuels could help mitigate carbon emissions, reduce oil imports and price shocks, reclaim wastewater and lower food prices,” said Muhs, an expert recruited to Utah and USU as part of the Utah Science and Technology Research Initiative (USTAR).
Muhs leads a team of scientists at USU working on many of the key challenges to developing algae biofuels at commercialization scale. The team works to identify the most productive and useful strains of algae, and is also developing proprietary bioreactors in which algae can be grown efficiently and cost effectively.
The USU team is partnering with a Southwestern United States utility company to develop a system to utilize algae and bioreactors for biological recycling of CO2 made by power plants. (Algae need CO2 to grow.)
In addition to USTAR funding, the Biofuels team at Utah State University also receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, which has included the Energy Lab in a project to create bio-jetfuel.
About USTAR
The Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR) is a long-term, state-funded investment to strengthen Utah's “knowledge economy” and generate high-paying jobs. For more information, visit the USTAR Web site or Twitter USTAR.
Contacts:
Michael O’Malley, communications director, Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative,
(801) 538-8879, momalley@utah.gov
Jeff Muhs, Utah State University, (435) 797-4687, jeff.muhs@usu.edu
The report is the first comprehensive look into the opportunities and challenges of utilizing algae not only to create biofuel, but also to recycle carbon dioxide. The major new push is the concept of utilizing algae for CO2 recycling. Created as a collaborative effort with nine industry partners and several academic colleagues at other universities, the report also summarizes challenges to other methods of carbon sequestration and reuse.
Muhs emphasized to the committee the very real promise that algae biofuels could provide America a reliable source of liquid transportation fuel, with many important benefits.
“Growing algae, the most productive of all photosynthetic life on earth, and converting it into fuels could help mitigate carbon emissions, reduce oil imports and price shocks, reclaim wastewater and lower food prices,” said Muhs, an expert recruited to Utah and USU as part of the Utah Science and Technology Research Initiative (USTAR).
Muhs leads a team of scientists at USU working on many of the key challenges to developing algae biofuels at commercialization scale. The team works to identify the most productive and useful strains of algae, and is also developing proprietary bioreactors in which algae can be grown efficiently and cost effectively.
The USU team is partnering with a Southwestern United States utility company to develop a system to utilize algae and bioreactors for biological recycling of CO2 made by power plants. (Algae need CO2 to grow.)
In addition to USTAR funding, the Biofuels team at Utah State University also receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, which has included the Energy Lab in a project to create bio-jetfuel.
About USTAR
The Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR) is a long-term, state-funded investment to strengthen Utah's “knowledge economy” and generate high-paying jobs. For more information, visit the USTAR Web site or Twitter USTAR.
Contacts:
Michael O’Malley, communications director, Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative,
(801) 538-8879, momalley@utah.gov
Jeff Muhs, Utah State University, (435) 797-4687, jeff.muhs@usu.edu
USU USTAR researcher Jeff Muhs testified before the U.S. congress in April 2009 and urged greater federal research investment in development of mass-scale technology to create algae biofuels.
TOPICS
Energy 102stories USTAR 64storiesComments and questions regarding this article may be directed to the contact person listed on this page.
