The Algae to BioDiesel Coalition:

A multidisciplinary group lead by Dr. Hossein Ahmadzadeh, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, is working to develop large scale production systems using microalgae as a feed stock for biodiesel production. WHY Algae? Basic and applied research to produce renewable fuels and chemicals from photosynthetic biomass has been on-going for over 50 years. Extensive work on microalgae biomass production has been carried out as they are fast-growing organisms with high productivity and produce lipids, rather than carbohydrates, as their primary storage molecule. Like higher plants, microalgae produce triacyglycerols which can be readily converted to fatty acid methyl esters, a substitute for fossil-derived diesel fuel. The rapidly growing biodiesel fuel industry in N. America and Western Europe currently uses primarily soybean and rapeseed oil, a practice that competes with food and feed crops for arable land and water. Many species of microalgae have properties well suited for commercial scale biodiesel production including rapid growth rate and productivity, high lipid content and the ability to grow in saline or waste waters not suitable for agricultural irrigation.
The Group: SEE the Summer Research Students 2008
Project leader: Dr. Hossein Ahmadzadeh, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, mhahmadzadeh@csupomona.edu Dr. Ahmadzadeh, an analytical chemist, is involved in developing efficient techniques for extracting and characterzing oils from a variety of plant and algal feedstocks and maximizing the transesterification reaction to convert lipids to biodiesel. Chemistry Students: Jeffery Komrosky, (jekomrosky@csupomona.edu) a Master's Student in the Department of Chemistry has recently joined the group and will explore the chemical characterization of algal lipids and the transesterification process. He will also develop single cell lipid analysis using CELIF (capillary electrophoresis with laser induced fluorescence detection). Undergraduates: Inho Lee (inholee@csupomona.edu) Lipid profile of algal strains. High School Student: Sarah Adams, a junior at a local high school has been growing algae in her garage and studying biodiesel production with her high school teachers and friends. She will be collaborating with the group and hopefully come to Cal Poly to continue her studies! Read about Sarah's project in the news
Microbiologist: Dr. Marcia Murry, mmewers@csupomona.edu
The Microbiologists are working closely with the Chemists to identify oil rich strains of microalgae that are adapted to growth in the local climate. We study strains in batch culture to characterize growth rates, biomass and oil biosynthesis, and morphological trends under a variety conditions incuding light intensity and quality, temperature, pH, salinity and nitrogen levels. Our goal is to identify oil rich strains that can be grown in mass culture using waste waters in local ponds as a feedstock for biodiesel. Microbiology Students: Lek "Ching" Liv (lcliv@csupomona.edu) is an undergraduate student majoring in Microbiology. She is developing culture techniques for growing oil rich microalgae and studying growth characteristics and lipid biosynthesis in batch laboratory cultures. Kevin M. Pegg( kmpegg@csupomona.edu), a biotechnology student is working to develop methods for lipid extraction from algae. As our ponds are developed, he will carry out fluorimetric analysis of algal growth and species composition and other instrumentation for pond control. Jo Lyn Goh jgoh@csupomona.edu Isolate single cells using capillary electrophoresis. Establish pure cultures of the dominant strains found in Salton Sea cmmunities. Use NIH image analysis to characterize morphology of dominant strains to use for quantification of pond communities.
Monica Truelsen (mmtruelsen@csupomona.edu), a senior majoring in Biology, is beginning work on algae identification and growth.
	Dr. Lyon, a Senior Technologist and lecturer in the Lyle Center with extensive experience in wastewater management and mass algaculture serves as a consultant to the group.