Roman algae could fuel the future
The Roman Baths, located in the heart of the city of Bath, are currently at the centre of a study aimed at producing renewable biofuels from algae.
The race is on to find a renewable liquid fuel as oil prices skyrocket and global resources deplete rapidly. Biodiesel can be produced by extracting the oil from an algae cell, with certain types of algae having a higher oil content.
Our researchers are looking for ways to make the production of biodiesel from algae commercially viable. By studying the unique algae growing in the high temperature waters of the city’s Roman Baths, the research team hopes to make the wide-scale production of biofuels a real possibility for future transportation energy.
Algae cells are usually happiest growing at temperatures around 25°C and that can limit the places in which they can be cultivated on a large scale. Areas where these ideal conditions are available also usually make good arable areas and are therefore needed for food production.
In an ideal world it would be possible to grow algae in desert areas where there are huge expanses of land that don’t have other uses, but the temperatures in these zones are too high for algae to flourish. However, the algae growing in the hot water of the Roman Baths has adapted to higher temperatures so offers a potential solution to this problem.
The results of this study will help identify whether there is a particular algae species suitable for producing sufficient amounts of biodiesel in high temperature locations, potentially making wide-scale production viable.
Energy research at Bath
One of the major challenges in the twenty-first century is the development of cleaner, sustainable means of energy conversion and storage in order to address the problems posed by global warming.
Energy research at Bath pulls together expertise from the sciences, engineering and psychology departments, focusing on key issues including:
- development of novel energy generation
- storage techniques
- security of supply and network demands
- the experiences of the end user.
