Cultivate Some Green Life with a Homemade Algae Photobioreactor

The alternative energy industry is all a-buzz with the latest biofuel possibility: algae.

Biofuels from algae seem to be the next truly green fuel in terms of efficiency, yield, and environmental footprint.

And now you can grow your own.

Algae grow rapidly and efficiently, doubling their mass several times daily, and producing up to 60% of their biomass in the form of oil. That oil is capable of being extracted and made into biodiesel, and the rest of the algae mass’ carbohydrate content can then be fermented into fuels such as bioethanol and biobutanol.

In terms of quantity, algae can produce at least 15 times more oil per acre than alternative sources such as soybeans, rapeseed, jatropha, or palms. According to the biofuel company SOLIX, algae can produce more oil in an area the size of a two-car garage than an football field of soybeans.

Building a homemade algae photobioreactor isn’t nearly as complex as it sounds. Jared Bouck, of AlgaeGeek, has posted his easy-to-follow instructions for projects as simple as very basic reactor, on up to a modular reactor array capable of being scaled up to production level. He builds them strictly out of his own interest, freely sharing his knowledge for the DIY green technology crowd.

His very first project, a basic reactor, would make an excellent science project for kids (or for teachers to have in the classrooom). The components cost him less than $12 and were easily found, being basic aquarium parts and other off-the-shelf pieces. While mainly useful for demonstration or keeping cultures alive for a bigger project, this basic version could be a great way to show your support for algal biofuels.

The next step up from that was a simple photobioreactor (PBR) array, seen in the video below:

After that, he built version 2, as seen in the photo at the top of the article, which is capable of being scaled up due to its modular design. The three tube array cost him about $100 in materials and 4 hours of time to put together, and was built with intention of it being an outdoor unit capable of prolonged use. He says that it also is much easier to fill and harvest from than the first version.

His latest model is the indoor year-round model that runs on a minimum of electricity and could possibly do double duty as an end table…

Go visit Jared at AlgaeGeek and be sure to hit that “donate” button and drop a few bills into his hands, because he funds all of the projects by himself.

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1. Our Life at the Cost of Theirs?
2. Good New Monday – How To Make Your Quality of Life Rise as the Economy Falls
3. Aquaflow Strikes Oil with “Green Crude” from Algae