Coalition Aims to Turn Algae into Biofuel

Algae, those slimy, primordial throwbacks generally considered a nuisance, may help power the future.

But before algae can be harvested as a renewable biofuel, we need to know much more about them, said biochemist Donald Weeks, Maxcy Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Weeks heads UNL’s Nebraska Coalition for Algal Biology and Biotechnology, or NCABB, a collaboration of 15 biologists, biochemists, plant pathologists and geneticists committed to first understanding algal biology, then harvesting algal oils for energy. “No one has tried to improve algae genetically for biofuel production,” said Weeks. “That work is just now getting under way.”

Algae’s impressive growing ability, which makes them the scourge of ponds and lakes, also makes them an appealing energy source. Algae produce 10 times more biomass per acre than corn, sugarcane and other land plants used to produce ethanol. They also don’t compete with food crops, can grow on wastewater and require fewer nutrients and less attention than other biofuel crops.

Unlike fossil fuels, which contribute to greenhouse gases, algae absorb CO₂ during photosynthesis, dramatically limiting their carbon footprint.

NCABB’s co-leader, biochemist Edgar Cahoon, who heads UNL’s Center for Plant Science Innovation, brings expertise in lipid metabolism and expansion of algal research through the center. “I’m hopeful that what we’re doing will contribute to finding solutions to this really important problem.”

UNL leads this effort in collaboration with faculty at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Doane College and Creighton University.

“We have expertise unique in the nation.”

In 2010, NCABB received more than $6 million as part of a five-year National Science Foundation grant to the Nebraska EPSCoR program to hire new faculty and create algal research facilities.

“It’s fundamental work that’s very important to our nation and Nebraska,” said Nebraska EPSCoR Director Fred Choobineh. “We have expertise unique in the nation.”

It’s not just about research, he added. The coalition is reaching out to industries in Nebraska and elsewhere to establish partnerships that could boost Nebraska’s economy.

Dr. Gilles Basset receives ARD Junior Faculty Research Award

October 11, 2011 -- Gilles Basset, assistant professor of agronomy and horticulture, received the 2011-2012 Junior Faculty for Excellence in Research Award from the Branham Endowment Fund. The award is given annually by the Agricultural Research Division to a tenure-track assistant professor with an ARD appointment.

The award is for faculty with an ARD appointment who have less than five years of professional experience at UNL. The award is based on publication record, evidence of external funding activity and peer recognition.

A reception to honor Basset for the award was held from 2 to 3 p.m., Oct. 11 in the East Union's Sunflower Room.

Basset's appointment also includes the Center for Plant Science Innovation and the biochemistry department.

Basset has developed a robust research program at UNL centered on plant metabolic pathways for the synthesis vitamin K, a lipid soluble cofactor essential in plants for electron transfer reactions during photosynthesis. He has defined a unique pathway for the synthesis of vitamin K in plants, and his on-going research, currently funded by the National Science Foundation, continues to investigate and apply the knowledge to metabolic engineering of plants for enhanced synthesis of vitamin K as a vital human nutrient.

His laboratory has published several peer-reviewed manuscripts in top tier scientific journals and he has become a widely recognized expert on vitamin K.

During his career at UNL, Basset has formed many collaborations, both internally and externally. He has continued to be active in the scientific community and was invited to present his research at the 2011 Gordon Conference on Plant Lipids: Structure, Metabolism and Function. Basset takes an active role within his department, university-wide affiliations, teaching and mentoring, professional outreach activities and the Lincoln community.