Abstract
Competition is now accelerating rapidly, with a number of groups around the world investigating various algal species and strains for their potential in oil production.
Botryococcus excretes most of its liquid hydrocarbons from the cells, retaining the oil within the colonial extracellular matrix. The many strains of Botryococcus differ in the amount of lipid production and growth capacity. Several strains with high hydrocarbon productivity and growth rates have been identified and submitted for further research and development. Research so far has more than doubled the ultimate level of biomass growth through the addition of organic waste. Botryococcus is mixotrophic, allowing it to use both light and chemical sources of energy for growth, further enhancing its already considerable potential as a hydrocarbon production system. The current undergoing project is aimed specifically at improving the cost balance of algae-based fuel generation by increasing hydrocarbon production by an order of magnitude.
