Algae Ahead Of Schedule

The US Department of Defense plans to start filling its jet engines with algal biofuel earlier than expected. The fuel, apparently, could be cost-competitive with standard jet fuel in just a few months.

The Guardian broke the story over the weekend...

Darpa's research projects have already extracted oil from algal ponds at a cost of $2 per gallon. It is now on track to begin large-scale refining of that oil into jet fuel, at a cost of less than $3 a gallon, according to Barbara McQuiston, special assistant for energy at Darpa. That could turn a promising technology into a ­market-ready one. Researchers have cracked the problem of turning pond scum and seaweed into fuel, but finding a cost-effective method of mass production could be a game-changer.

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