Then and Now: 120 Bioeconomy Pioneers look at yesterday, today, inspirations and challenges

Marsh Allen

Then:  I was working on the testing of a peristaltic pump I had designed for an 8 inch poly tubing PBR. It had a few flaws that I worked out and it did a great job of allowing 7 1/2 inch balls to go through for agitation of the algae in the tube. When I tried out the system I ran into problems with the algae source to operate the system. the bloom of algae on Klamath Lake dried up snd I had no second source for the AFA algae. I also did mot have  a concentrator to dewater the algae for the AFA is not a true algae and I had not designed for anything that small.

Now: I have since gone into a retirement home and have some physical problems that have halted my project for the time being.

Inspirations: I have felt for many years that there are alternative for fossil fuels and algae is one of the most prominent to be developed to create short processes for changing algae into aviation fuels and diesel. Let us shorten the process for experimental( mostly in universities) and into the field for development to hasten the change to this alternate fuel.