Corpus
Christi, Texas — Just as corn and peanuts stunned the world
decades ago with their then-newly discovered multi-beneficial uses and
applications, Texas AgriLife Research scientists in Corpus Christi think microalgae holds even
more promise.
“It’s a huge,
untapped source of fuel, food, feed, pharmaceuticals and even
pollution-busters,” says Dr. Carlos Fernandez, a crop physiologist at the Texas
AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi who is studying the
physiological responses of microalgae to the environment.
There are an
estimated 200,000 to 800,000 species of microalgae, microscopic algae that
thrive in freshwater and marine systems, Fernandez says.
Of all those
species, only 35,000 species have been described, he says.
“We’re only
starting to scratch the surface of discovering the natural secrets of
microalgae and their many potential uses and benefits,” he says. “But already
it’s obvious that farmers will one day soon be growing microalgae on marginal
land that won’t compete with fertile farmland. They won’t even compete for
fresh water to grow.”
To understand
how best to grow it, Fernandez constructed a microalgae physiology laboratory
to study how it’s affected by temperature, salinity, nutrients, light levels
and carbon dioxide.
“We have four
bioreactors in which we grow microalgae to determine the basic physiological
responses that affect its growth,” he says. “We will then integrate these
responses into a simulator model, a tool we can use in the management of
larger, outdoor systems.”
In this study,
different strains of microalgae will be evaluated for their capacity to produce
large amounts of lipids, or fats, that can then be converted to produce and
refine diesel and other biofuels, Fernandez says.
“Along with
that, after extracting the lipids from the biomass of microalgae, there is a
residue that we are going to analyze for its quality for use as feed for
animals, including fish, shrimp or cattle.”
Eventually,
studies will evaluate the possibility of using the residue as a soil
fertilizer.
“There are lots
of other potential uses for the residue, but for now our focus is on feed and
fertilizer,” he says.
The microalgae
study includes other researchers, Fernandez says.
“We’ve just
started this work and we’re working closely with the nearby Texas AgriLife
Mariculture labs in Flour Bluff, under the direction of Dr. Tzachi Samocha, and
the one in Port Aransas, under the direction of Dr. Addison Lawrence.”
Studying
microalgae in the Corpus Christi
area is a natural fit for many reasons, Fernandez says.
“We have
immediate access to seawater to grow microalgae,” he says. “Because we’re so
close to the Gulf of Mexico, we’ve got lots of
marginal land in the area where microalgae can be grown on a large scale. We have
lower evaporation rates than in arid areas so water replacement is less.
“There are local
power plants and oil refineries in the area that we can use as sources of
carbon dioxide that helps microalgae grow while reducing CO2 pollutants. And we
have a wealth of higher education institutions in the area with huge potentials
to help in these studies, including Texas A&M at Corpus
Christi, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Delmar
College.”
AgriLife
Research at Corpus Christi
has partnered with the Barney M. Davis Power Plant to conduct this and other
studies.
“It’s a natural
gas-operated power plant that is an excellent source of carbon dioxide from its
flue gasses that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by passing them through
microalgae systems,” he says.
There also is
the potential to partner with the City of Corpus
Christi, which has several municipal water treatment
plants in the area that can be used as sources of nutrients to reduce the cost
of applying them to microalgae systems, Fernandez says.
“Our center director,
Dr. Juan Landivar, took a huge leadership role in moving these microalgae
projects forward by seeking and obtaining federal and private funding, and by
encouraging teamwork and multi-disciplinary personnel to work on this,”
Fernandez says.
