NASA Wants to Bag Biofuel From Sewage [UPDATED]

By Chris de Morsella on November 30, 2009 8 Comments algae, algae biofuel, algae production, Algae Systems, algal biofuel, biodiesel, biofuel, bioreactors, California, canola, Carbon-Negative, forward-osmosis membranes, green economy, Jonathan Trent, manmade ponds, Moffet Field, NASA, Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae, OMEGA, osmosis, palm oil, semi-permeable membrane, sewage, soy, Spaceship Earth project at NASA Ames Research Center

NASA scientists from the Moffet Field laboratory in California have proposed an ingenious process to grow algal biofuels in the ocean enclosed within large floating bags made of a special semi-permeable clear plastic membrane. Growing algae in floating bags in the sea solves several major problems that are faced by current land based methods of algal biofuel production in an elegant low energy, low impact manner. This is the kind of out of the box thinking that is needed in order to grow the green economy. Now, in updated news NASA engineers and industry veterans have launched a company, Algae Systems, to commercialize the process.