Blatant Reality

NASA is taking a look at algae as a potential bioremediator and source of fuels and other products. However, they are not researching algae for off world voyages, but for the antithesis of their existence: terra firma (aka the earth). Take a look at what their plans are:

 The process is amazingly simple. It starts with algae being placed in sewage-filled plastic bags, which in true NASA style have a nifty acronym, OMEGA, for “offshore membrane enclosures for growing algae.”

 

The OMEGA bags are semipermeable membranes that NASA developed to recycle astronauts’ wastewater on long space missions. In this case, the membranes let freshwater exit but prevent saltwater from moving in.

 

Then the algae in the bag feast on nutrients in the sewage. The plants clean up the water and produce lipids — fat-soluble molecules — that will be used later as fuel.

 

Just as in algae biofuel production on land, the floating OMEGA bags use water, solar energy and carbon dioxide — which in this case is absorbed through the plastic membrane — to produce sugar that algae metabolize into lipids.

 

Oxygen and fresh, cleansed water are then released through the membrane to the ocean.

 

“It’s energy-free,” Trent said. “It doesn’t cost us anything. Osmosis works by itself.”

You catch that last part? No energy is needed. If I am reading this right, this process could potentially combine the benefits of open pond algae growth (no energy input requires) and closed algae growth systems (help keep contaminants out). Pretty good deal.

Read the rest of the article. This process looks very interesting and would eliminate the need for any land being used for algae growth thus eliminating the need for algae to take up even marginal lands.

Also, be sure to note that this article was published in The New York Times. I might have missed it but it seems that this might be the first time a whole article has been devoted to algae. Things seem to be looking up for algae.