BETO’s research developed method to respond to and prevent algae crop collapse

April 10, 2022 |

In Washington, D.C., algae are an exciting renewable feedstock for the future of sustainable fuels and products and one application, which the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office is exploring, is the potential to turn algae into jet fuel precursors and researchers have no developed a rapid, cost-effective method to monitor chemical signals that algae emit when under stress, which can help prevent algae crop collapse.

Lurking in or around every algae pond are pests—grazers and predators that have the potential to devastate the algae crop. Algae ponds have the potential to “crash” or be overtaken quickly because of these pests, turning from a healthy, vibrant green to sickly brown and dead in a matter of hours to days. This rapid deterioration poses significant challenges for the scale-up of algae production for the future.

Sandia scientist Todd Lane leads a collaboration between SNL and LLNL that has developed a rapid, cost-effective method to monitor chemical signals—called volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—that algae emit when under stress.

The group identified and reported on the specific VOCs that the algae emitted. These compounds can be used as chemical signatures to detect and diagnose early signs of stress in algal cultures with the goal of delivering targeted and effective treatments prior to a catastrophic culture crash.

Category: Research

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