The project’s lead scientist, Michele Stanley, said that conventional biofuel crops compete for land and fresh water with farming and nature. “What we need is fast-growing, easily utilised plants which thrive in environments not used for agriculture or conservation. Marine algae could be part of the solution. Seaweeds grow rapidly, harness carbon dioxide and have simple structures which make them easily converted to fuel.”
Stanley said much research and development will be needed to unleash the potential of algae as feedstock for biofuels. “As well as seaweeds, we will investigate which strains of microalgae are most suitable for oil production and cultivation on an industrial scale.”
BioMara will work on every part of the energy-supply chain, from cultivation of the algae to fuel utilisation in remote communities.
The partners in the project are the University of Strathclyde; Queen’s University, Belfast; the University of Ulster; the Dundalk Institute of Technology; and the Institute of Technology, Sligo.
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