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Good points - I should have been more specific.
It is true that almost all species in culture collections where isolated from algae found growing in the wild. I was not concerned about the ultimate source of the algae, but that if the experimenter goes to a local pond and gets some wild algae, he has greatly hamstrung his research. He has no idea what species he is growing, so he does not know to "feed" it. If he figures out how to culture it, he will not be able to use the knowledge to grow the next batch.
By starting with a know species, he will be able to research on the Internet how to grow it. Once he works out how to grow it, he will be able to use the knowledge with future batches.
There are 300,000 species of algae (I have seen other estimates, but the number is large.) Only about two dozen species produce much oil. So your chances of lucking into a species that produces much oil is very low.
By starting with one of the species sold by Ecogenics Research, you are assured that you will get oil.
You are correct that we need to find the product of rate of growth multiplied by the percentage of oil. This is going to take a lot of work - we will need to work out how to optimize growth for each candidate species, then how to trigger it to maximize oil, and then measure the percentage oil we can get. (The published oil percentages vary "all over the lot", so we will have to verify the oil percentage.)
If your researcher finds a wild species that produces 20% oil - he is very lucky.
So, to be able to help each other and communicate our results, we need to start with known species.
I feel that most of our members are relatively new to algae research and it is better to have a head start by starting with a know species. If you have some knowledgeable researchers with a good lab, then they will be able to collect local species, separate and purify them, grow out each species, and test for lipid percentage. That is a great way for professional researchers to proceed, but somewhat overwhelming for most of our members.
Patrick was able to find an oil bearing species in Richmond. He "cheated". He followed oil upstream in the river to its source, collected a sample, and separated it into the four species present. Only one of them produced oil. As a result, he has a new species (perhaps) for us to try.
I feel we need to keep things simpler for our backyard researchers.
Bobby
On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 8:38 PM, andy potter <diatom.guru@...> wrote:
All algae are wild strains (if they are not genetically modified). The culture collections are full of wild algae. Do people suggest that there are domesticated strains? I doubt so. If you look at Chlorella (which there has been GM work on) their are "wild types" and there are "mutants". The culture collections do not sell mutants so I think everything your have access to is wild.
One thing to think about: If you get something from a culture collection that produces 90% lipids, but is impossible to grow to useable biomass, does this help you produce algae fuel?If you grow a native species that that produces 20% but grows like a weed you will end up with at least more than with the previous scenerio.So the best thing is a local fast growing decent oil producer. High oil producers do exist in nature, or this whole venture would not be worth thinking about. They may take time and effort to find, but they are there (see the Aquatic Species Reports).Some species grow fast, some do not. Some species produce lots of lipids, some do not. Finding a combination that of these two variables, and a species that likes your growing system will ultumately determine your oil production.
--
Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.-Ed Abbey
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Toward freedom,
Bobby Yates Emory
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