The document discusses plans to grow algae at Lone Star College-Montgomery (LSC-M) in order to produce biodiesel. Major points include: - The US is too reliant on imported oil, while traditional biofuels compete with food supply; algae is a fast-growing alternative that does not require arable land. - The National Algae Association approached LSC-M about housing one of the first commercial algae growth systems in the US. - Donations from companies will allow LSC-M to construct photobioreactors to grow algae and extract the oil, with students heavily involved in the project.

1. Algae-to-Biodiesel at LSC-Montgomery Let’s grow our own fuel!

2. U.S. Dependence on Imported Oil A bad problem that is quickly getting worse

3. Traditional biofuels compete with the food supply & contribute to rising food costs

4. Even if the food supply wasn’t an issue, there isn’t enough arable land to produce enough fuel to meet the world’s needs

5. The newest generation of biofuels include using algae, the fastest growing plant (actually a group of ~30,000 known species) known

6. Algae is a feedstock that can be used to produce various types of fuel, including gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel fuel A bad problem that is quickly getting worse

7. Millions of dollars are currently being invested in algae-to-biofuels research Exxon-Mobil: $600 Million Bill Gates: $100 Million General Atomics/Department of Defense: $43 Million Solazyme: $76 Million

8. Algae can be used to clean up wastewater

9. Algae can be used to reduce greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere

10. Algae oil and biomass can be converted into an incredibly wide array of products

11. Growing algae at LSC-M

12. The National Algae Association is a nonprofit organization seeking to form alliances that will fast track algae commercialization

13. The National Algae Association recently approached the LSC Biotechnology Institute about housing and operating one of the first commercial scale algae growth and harvesting systems in the United States Harvester Photobioreactor (PBR) Oil Extractor

14. Harvell Plastics and George Fischer Piping Systems donated several thousands of dollars worth of customized plastics for constructing 3 state-of-the-art PBRs at LSC-Montgomery

15. Biocentric Energy has agreed to donate a photobioreactor (PBR) of what may be the most cost-effective design yet developed

16. Yokogawa Corporation of America and Fluid Imaging Technologies have or will be donating/lending >$100,000 worth of instrumentation for monitoring the algae and culture conditions in real time

17. Student Involvement

18. Students have been meeting twice a week all semester planning both large- and small-scale algae projects

19. A group of engineers, piping experts, and others have donated both time and materials in the construction of the first PBR

20. The job never could have been completed without the MANY hours spent by our students working on this project (1)

21. The job never could have been completed without the MANY hours spent by our students working on this project (2)

22. Finished at last!

23. Finished at last!

24. Even Dr. Lane was impressed!