Though liquid fuels derived from plants have the potential to shift energy production to much cleaner products and practices, to date the environmental benefits do not yet surpass the risks, according to a number of influential studies including a 2009 United Nations report.
Students at the University of Michigan are working to create algae-based water treatment and bio-energy systems, like this photobioreactor shown above. As the algae grows and takes up nutrients from its surroundings, it accumulates lipids that are later converted into biodiesel.
That tilt may soon be righted by researchers at the University of Virginia and the Seawater Foundation, who discovered that the most important source of the risk-benefit imbalance was the heavy reliance on fresh water and the need for petroleum-based fertilizer to improve plant productivity. Researchers at both organizations substituted wastewater rich in organic material and developed much cleaner and efficient practices for biofuels development. Read more
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