NASA recently showcased the latest research and technology development a
method to grow algae, clean wastewater, capture carbon dioxide and
ultimately produce feedstock for refining biofuels without competing
with agriculture for water, fertilizer or land.
NASA’s unique floating algae cultivation system, called Offshore
Membrane Enclosure for Growing Algae (OMEGA), managed by NASA’s Ames
Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., will be available to transfer to
the commercial sector in May 2012. A small-scale OMEGA system was
developed in seawater tanks at the California Fish and Game laboratory
in Santa Cruz, Calif., and scaled up to a 450-gallon system at the
Southeast Wastewater Treatment facility in San Francisco.
The OMEGA system is designed to grow freshwater algae in municipal
wastewater using NASA’s photobioreactors, which are flexible plastic
tubes that float in seawater. In the process of growing, the algae treat
wastewater and address environmental problems by consuming nutrients
from the wastewater and carbon dioxide. "We’ve addressed some of the more daunting technological problems for implementing OMEGA," said Trent. "Now
the hope is that other organizations and industries will realize the
potential of the OMEGA technology for wastewater treatment and
ultimately to produce sustainable biofuels."
NASA – 2012 April