Did you know that you algae plants produce vegetable oil that can be used to fuel vehicles? That’s right! Algae are more than just slimy green nuisances that grow in damp swamps, and they just might be the next renewable energy source used around the world by oil companies.

Algae as biofuel?

With the cost of fuel reaching up to $100 per barrel, more companies are looking toward biofuel sources that can be produced for less money and cause less damage to the environment. Algae are the perfect biofuel resource because they can be grown any time of year, they can reproduce in both waste and seawater and they can generate about 15 times more oil than other biofuel plants.

Shell’s Project

The major oil company Shell, also known as Royal Dutch Shell, has partnered with HR Biopetroleum to build a research facility in Hawaii to grow non-genetically modified algae to be used for fuel. The location is perfect for this new endeavor because the facility will be next to other algae enterprises that are already used for pharmaceutical and nutrition purposes. The algae will be harvested in a protected ecosystem environment, and then the vegetable oil will be extracted from them and tested to see their biofuel capabilities. You can read more about this amazing story at Shell’s News & Media Releases.

This is a huge leap for green research companies such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, whose goal is to advance the U.S. Department of Energy’s use of renewable energy resources. The more biofuel sources we can use in the U.S., the less we will have to rely on foreign countries for oil!