New algae species could be used for biodiesel

"We can extract oil from this species. Its properties are fit for biodiesel production," said microbiology expert Dr Ratanaporn Leesing.

She heads a team at KKU tasked with exploring sources of biodiesel. It began its mission by looking at small green algae in freshwater sources.

KKU-S2 so far has been found only on the surface of one pond at the university.

"Within two days, the number of this alga can double, and within a week or two we can extract oil from it," Ratanaporn said.

She is confident the oil from KKU-S2 can be turned into pure biodiesel for practical use by next April.

"Farming this species for industrial biodiesel production should be possible, too. A farm would not require much space," she explained. "And we'd be extracting oil before long."

She said statistics from the United States showed that up to 136,900 litres of oil per hectare could be produced from small green algae, compared with only 172 litres from corn.

"In the US, small green algae have already been commercially used in biodiesel production," Ratanaporn said.