Research hopes grow
For Hebner and Brand, there’s never been a more exciting time to lead algae research.
Rising gas prices have increased interests in making algae a viable source of fuel. One of the biggest milestones showcasing the potential of algae occurred late last year, when a U.S. passenger flight was the first to fly on a mix of algae biofuel and petroleum-derived jet fuel.
Brand said algae strands have been around forever and most strands of it have been noted only for the problems they cause in lakes and streams. He said he’s glad the potential of algae is finally being recognized.
“Algae have tremendous potential – not just in biofuels, but as feed for animals, pharmaceuticals, and other uses, and I think it’s really exciting that algae can be exploited for all of these different purposes,” he said.
Researchers still have major hurdles to overcome before oil and other products from algae can be mass-produced, and done so affordably. Among them, they don’t know how long it will be before we can grow hundreds of thousands of acres of algae, or whether wastewater can be efficiently used to grow the algae – a sustainable research project that Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Professors Kerry Kinney and Lynn Katz are pursuing.
“But I think we have as strong and broad of expertise in taking algae all the way – from exploiting it, finding new strains, to producing commercial products – than any other institution in the country,” Brand said.
For chemical engineering senior Morela Montoya, algae research is “a field of the future” with much promise.
Montoya, who is among the more than 50 students who have helped with the university’s algae research, said attendance at algae conferences has increased in recent years – a testament to the growing momentum around the green sludge.
“This research experience has allowed for the intermingling of disciplines and expertise, and as a chemical engineer I’m learning about aspects of civil engineering and biology and natural sciences that I might not have learned otherwise,” Montoya said. “We’re all working on this together, and I think this cross-disciplinary work is very unique to the University of Texas. It is helping me learn a great deal, and I think it’s helping the future of this field.