Using algae as an alternative biofuel is not new, but two undergraduates in chemical engineering may have found a way to commercialize it on a large scale — something that researchers have not yet figured out how to do. Sophomores Tyler Lee and Samuel Doane are developing a bioreactor system capable of extracting oil from algae — a lot of algae. If successful, their reactor could be scaled to an industrial size and may help reduce dependence on fossil fuels. “We have to think on our feet,” Lee said. “It is well known that algae holds oil, but it’s a race to figure out how to extract it on a mass scale.”
