Savannah Man Building Algae Ponds in Nevada for Biodiesel

Jul 11, 2008
posted by John W. Bebout

(SAVANNAH) Dr. John W. Bebout, a renewable energy consultant in Savannah announced today that he has partnered with Enegis LLC of Virginia and the University of Nevada at Reno to grow algae for the manufacture of biodiesel fuel.

“We are building on work done by the Department of Energy more than a decade ago to grow algae in open ponds in Nevada, “ said Bebout. “Although most researchers today are looking at bioreactors (enclosed systems which allow growing temperatures to be controlled), we believe that inexpensive, open ponds offer the only economically feasible way to grow algae in commercial quantities. Bioreactors are simply too expensive to build and maintain.”

Construction of two algae ponds at the University of Nevada, Reno will begin this summer. “The construction of these ponds represents the culmination of more than four years of research into developing a hardy variety of algae which produces more than half its weight in oil as well as developing a practical process to grow, concentrate and harvest the algae,” said Bebout.

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