Researcher exploring energy potential of algae

Southern Illinois University
BY TIM CROSBY, SIUC University Communications
Sunday, January 25, 2009 2:08 PM CST

CARBONDALE -- You might think of algae as the plants that provide the greenish tint and murky smell in pond water. A researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, however, sees a possible alternative energy source in the ubiquitous organism.

Yanna Liang, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering, is working on ways to improve and extract naturally occurring substances in certain algae strains that can be used to create biodiesel fuel. The substances in the algae -- lipids -- are similar to those occurring in corn or other plants used to make vegetable oil, which currently is a major ingredient in the biodiesel manufacturing process.

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