Plymouth scientists part of UK “dream team”
24th March 2009
This week the Carbon Trust announced the creation of a UK algal
biofuel “dream team”, which includes scientists from Plymouth
Marine Laboratory (PML). The Carbon Trust team, consisting of
twelve project teams, comprising eleven leading UK institutions was
selected from 80 initial proposals. The team of over 70 scientists
will work together to find a winning formula for cultivating 70
billion litres of algal biofuel a year by 2030; the equivalent of
6% of global road transport diesel and a saving of over 160 million
tonnes of CO2 every year.
PML’s role will be to screen thousands of new algal strains to
identify those algae that can produce large quantities of a
substance similar to vegetable oil for conversion to biofuel.
Further research elsewhere will then develop sustainable and cost
effective methods of scaling-up production from laboratory tests to
commercial enterprise.
Algae has the potential to deliver 5 to 10 times more oil per
hectare than conventional cropland biofuels and it could provide
carbon savings of up to 80% compared to fossil fuel petrol and jet
fuel.
Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust, commented: “We
have pulled together a dream team of over 70 UK algae scientists
who have the expert knowledge to turn algae into a British biofuel
success story. Applying principles this country has developed from
its proud agricultural heritage and leading bioscience expertise,
we will be developing a truly sustainable biofuel. With a market
value of over £15 billion the potential rewards are high.”
Sohail Ali, Biotechnologist and Principle Investigator for the
PML research, said: “This is a highly relevant and exciting
research project to be involved in. Not only will we increase our
scientific understanding of algal processes and functions but it
will also help society take a step closer to a low carbon existence
and will strengthen the region’s status of being Britain’s first
“Low Carbon Economic Area” in the Government's Low Carbon
Industrial Strategy.”
The Carbon Trust is investing £8 million over 3 years into the
projects using funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) and
the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC).
The universities and institutions selected to conduct the
research are:
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory
(PML)
- University of Coventry
- London Queen Mary
- University of Manchester
- University of Newcastle (Supported on one
project by Critical Processes Ltd)
- Scottish Association for Marine
Science
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University of Swansea (Supported by Bangor
University and PML)