New algae strain could boost Australian biofuels production

A new strain of microalgae species, which could benefit the biofuels industry, has been evaluated by researchers at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

The breakthrough comes six years after bioprospecting across several thousand kilometres of South Australian waterways and into the waters of the Great Australian Bight, followed by laboratory and small-scale outdoor trials.

It is hoped by researchers that this particular strain of microalgae will give South Australia a head start on creating third generation biofuels.

‘The flagship strain stands head and shoulders above the rest. It is a specific strain of Nannochloropsis (green algae), with an unusually high lipid and protein content,’ says SARDI algae research team leader Sasi Nayar.

‘These attributes mean that the microalgae has tremendous commercial potential with application across the full range of oil uses from biofuels to high value co-products such as animal and human food supplements and skin and anti-ageing creams. We are at a stage where we now know a lot about this species and its optimal growing conditions and we are ready to scale up to commercial level to refine the production systems to be used.’

The research partners are now looking for investors to help take the research to commercial pilot scale and then full commercial scale.

Microalgae is a non-food feedstock which does not compete with traditional agriculture for land and resources and It is carbon neutral because it absorbs or recycles carbon as it grows, rather than emitting new carbon into the atmosphere.