ASU researchers say they are three to five years from large-scale production, a breakthrough that could eventually reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
Arizona, with its plentiful sunshine, available land, and excess of wastewater, is ideal for growing algae. Their agricultural wastewater tends to be high in nutrients and salt, which makes it undrinakable – but algae loves it.
Scientists say the hard research is done, now it’s “largely an engineering problem” and then we could have industrial-scale biofuel production.