Gassing up with algae: Grant helps fuel biodiesel research

The Metropolitan Council and the University of Minnesota are expanding a joint research effort aimed at finding a way to turn algae from municipal wastewater treatment facilities into biofuels for our cars.

The research received a boost this week when it was announced that Xcel Energy was awarding the team a $150,000 grant to continue the groundbreaking work.

“This gift will not simply fill a gap, but will give us an opportunity to expand our research and development capacity and help to launch larger efforts in this area,” Robert Elde, dean of the University’s College of Biological Sciences, said in a release.

The Metropolitan Council and the University’s Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment have been investigating the potential for algae-to-fuel technology since 2006.

Algae contains oil that can be extracted and turned into biodiesel. The research team is trying to determine which types of algae contain the most oil and are the easiest to grow. It ultimately hopes to find an efficient way to cultivate algae from the 250 million gallons of wastewater that the Metropolitan Council cleans and discharges each day.