A paper by CSIR researchers, Dheepak Maharajh and Asha Harilal named ‘Transforming South Africa’s Biodiversity into Diesel’ has taken us one step closer to a future where we could be running on algae.

The paper presented the isolation of beneficial organisms and the best organisms from that potential in the biomass process. Currently biodiesel production and research are focused on crop based feedstock, such as palm oil. Researchers and stakeholders in the field are concerned that these biomass products could become unsustainable in the long term due to arable land and water requirements – not to mention the competition with food crops.

Algae has shown great potential in being the possible solution, as 40% can be harvested as fuel according to Maharajh;

“Algae generally grow at lower densities than bacteria or yeast, but their growth rates are far superior to terrestrial plants. These masses are specific to the organisms capability to produce oil. Eg, to produce 1 litre of fuel from an algae that produced 40% oil we would require 2.5kg of dry algal biomass, which could be as much as 2500L of liquid culture”

Microalgae have an oil yield at least 10 times better than oil seed crops and are capable of using environmental waste substrates such as carbon dioxide and nitrate-rich waste water for growth. For the last three years CSIR researchers have been actively sampling South Africa’s biodiversity and have successfully obtained over 200 isolates.

Full Article: southafricanbiodiversity.co.za/biodiversity/550-running-o...

A kind of SF plant if you look closer, but a nice one if you watch the small photo :).

PZO 40/065 and homemade polarisation

Green Technology World

algae

20090726 張懸&Algae。城市。行腳 。華山

beach at low tide

A coral reef at Kiritimati Atoll dominated by algae. Credit: Jennifer Smith, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego

At Wembury beach, Devon near Plymouth

This is my sister's marimo (algae ball). I have no idea what the appeal of it is, but it seems to be that it's one step above having a pet rock.

July 30, 2025

Pictures from a photo walk on the tidal flats North of Paine's Creek.

Paine's Creek Estuary

Brewster, Massachusetts

Cape Cod - USA

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Algae caught in a tidepool.

I had to lay down on top of shit smelling, rotting algae to take this picture. Somebody had to.

Long strands of river algae, found in Mekong, are sprinkled with sesame seeds, tomato and garlic and left to dry int the sun, Laos.

Photo by Terry Sunderland/CIFOR

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Stack of spirulina algae powder and spirulina drink isolated on white background

Fish Park, Poulsbo, Washington. Canon ELPH 2 APS 23-46mm f/4.2-5.6, Fujifilm APS nexia 400

This is the part where it was attached to the rock, slightly green.

algae.

very strange looking ...

Easter Holidays (April 2007)

Portmeirion - Wales, UK.

Algae, which can be a few thousand millimeters small but also can grow up to 40 meter long, taste fine. They will soon solve the food problem in the world.

(Chocolate Jacques picture-album "Great Mysteries of the Ocean", educational chromos, 1960's)

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Bay Park (Ford Lake), Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. Must be seen large.

Eisenia arborea

Green algae

The openings onto the back-side of the falls are draped with delicate algae strands. Niagara Falls, Canada

Another, more in focus, shot of the Algae Blenny.

This is another attempt at photomicroscopy. Starting to get the hang of it now. It is really fiddly.

tiny tendrils, washed up on the rocks

Green algae on water