University of Texas researchers design synthetic trees for producing water and energy efficient algal biofuels

[caption id="attachment_5371" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="UT Austin researchers Thomas Murphy (left) and Dr. Halil Berberoglu (right) have developed a novel approach to cultivating algal biofuels by designing synthetic trees. Photo credit: The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carol Grosvenor."] [/caption]The idea is straightforward: grow algae in large quantities and harvest the energy dense byproducts as an alternative to fossil fuels. Like larger plants, microalgae use solar energy to fix carbon dioxide into energy dense molecules, which can then be used to synthesize transportation fuels, or produce bio-plastics and other materials. [More]