EPA awards University of Central Florida 3P student design grant for algae technology

In Washington, the Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $15,000 grant to the University of Central Florida under its National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet to establish and advance fundamentals associated with a ‘waste–products’ vision centered on recycling organic waste to a biofuel.

To overcome some of the economic barriers for implementing algae-biostock production, the research aims to integrate previously studied methods for increasing efficiency and lowering production costs in algae cultivation. The process, termed ABODE (Algae Biofuel Osmosis Dewatering), involves a photobioreactor for the growth of algae using secondary waste water with an attached forward osmosis (FO) extraction process to dewater the algae for bioenergy production using sustainable, low-cost draw solutions.