Project Omega

Jonathan Trent is the chief scientist for a NASA initiative called, Project Omega.  Based at the Ames NASA Research Center in Silicon Valley,  this effort involves using photosynthetic algae fertilized by wastewater in off shore systems to produce biofuels.  

Here's how it works. Partially treated wastewater from an urban sewage treatment plant is pumped into a system of offshore bioreactors - essentially plastic tubing filled with photosynthetic algae.  The carbon dioxide generated by the wastewater is absorbed by the algae, which flourishes in the presence of sunlight.   What makes this concept economically viable when scaled up is its integration with other complementary technologies like aquaculture,  wind turbines, solar PV, and wave power generation.

Prototype Omega System

A lot of biofuel can be made from the rapid production of algae biomass in systems built on the Project Omega model.  Integrating multiple technologies into this kind of holistic system is the face of the sustainable energy and resource future that will replace our current dependence on fossil forms of energy. The sooner it happens, the better. 


Here is a link to a TED presentation by Jonathan Trent...
http://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_trent_energy_from_floating_algae_pods.html