Sheehan J., Dunahay T., Benemann J., Roessler P. A Look Back at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Aquatic Species Program: Biodiesel from Algae

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1998, 296 pagesFrom 1978 to 1996, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fuels Development funded a program to develop renewable transportation fuels from algae. The main focus of the program, know as the Aquatic Species Program (or ASP) was the production of biodiesel from high lipid-content algae grown in ponds, utilizing waste CO₂ from coal fired power plants. Over the almost two decades of this program, tremendous advances were made in the science of manipulating the metabolism of algae and the engineering of microalgae algae production systems.
Technical highlights of the program are summarized below:Applied Biology
A unique collection of oil-producing microalgae
Shedding light on the physiology and biochemistry of algae
Breakthroughs in molecular biology and genetic engineeringAlgae Production Systems
Demonstration of Open Pond Systems for Mass Production of Microalgae
The high cost of algae production remains an obstacleResource Availability
Land, water and CO2 resources can support substantial biodiesel production and CO₂ savingsLaboratory studies
Collection, screening, and characterization of microalgae
Microalgal strain improvementOutdoor studies and systems analysis
Projects funded by erda/doe 1976-1979
The asp microalgal mass culture
Resource analyses
Engineering systems and cost analysesConclusions and recommendations
Microalgal strain improvement
Microalgal mass culture