Taking an approach similar to that used for discovering new
therapeutic drugs, chemists at the University of California, Davis, have found
several compounds that can boost oil production by green microscopic algae, a
potential source of biodiesel and other "green" fuels. The work
appears online in the journal Chemical Biology.
Microalgae are single-celled organisms that, like green
plants, use photosynthesis to capture carbon dioxide and turn it into complex
compounds, including oils and lipids. Marine algae species can be raised in
saltwater ponds and so do not compete with food crops for land or fresh water.