Eigenbrodt Lab Adding Fuel to Algae鈥檚 Bioenergy Potential
Bryan Eigenbrodt, PhD, associate professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is leading the charge to improve algae鈥檚 future as a mass-produced biofuel
Research led by Bryan Eigenbrodt, PhD, and students like Emily Clayton '24 CLAS, '25 MS (left) and Cat Tobin '26 CLAS (right), is enhancing the potential of algae for biofuel use.
It creeps into swimming pools overnight, forces the closure of lakes and beaches and turns clear ocean waters murky green. But despite its annoying reputation, algae鈥攁n expansive group of photosynthetic eukaryotes with up to 1 million known species鈥攎ay hold the key to a more sustainable future.
鈥淎lgae may widely be considered a nuisance, but it could make the United States independent when it comes to energy supply,鈥� said Bryan Eigenbrodt, PhD, associate professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at 棉花糖直播. 鈥淭hat is very important in this day and age.鈥�
Dr. Eigenbrodt and his student researchers, including several undergraduates and a master鈥檚 student during the 2024-25 academic year, are exploring ways to maximize algae鈥檚 potential as a mass-produced biofuel. Their research could help reshape the country鈥檚 energy landscape.
Algae, like this Adriatic Sea species used in the lab, has desirable qualities for use in biofuel: it grows quickly, produces oil and requires little space to farm.
Algae's Advantages
Currently, about 80 percent of the world鈥檚 fuel production comes from fossil fuels, a non-renewable resource used for everything from transportation to the production of plastics. But fossil fuels have a biological origin.
鈥淢ost of our fossil fuels come from prehistoric algae and plants that have been compressed,鈥� Dr. Eigenbrodt said. 鈥淎s a nation known for our agriculture, why can't we grow our own algae [for fuel use]?鈥�
As it turns out, we can. Algae is a compelling biofuel because it requires relatively little space to farm and can grow in fresh or saltwater. To make the U.S. entirely energy-independent using algae-based biofuel, researchers estimate that it would take just 4 percent of the country鈥檚 landmass鈥攆ar less than other biofuel crops鈥攂efore even factoring in offshore farming ability.
鈥淭hat may sound like a lot, but if we were to use soybeans, it would require 300 percent of the size of the country,鈥� Dr. Eigenbrodt said, while also noting that in 2023, 39 percent of U.S. land was used for agriculture. 鈥淥il from palms, which wouldn鈥檛 even grow in all locations, would require 25 percent.鈥�
Beyond space efficiency, algae eliminates a major ethical concern of traditional biofuels.
鈥淎nother land issue humans run into, specifically with consumable crops, like corn, being turned into biofuels is the allocation of those crops for fuel, as opposed to human food or feedstock,鈥� said Emily Clayton 鈥�24 CLAS, 鈥�25 MS, a master鈥檚 researcher in the lab. 鈥淎lgae not only shrinks the amount of arable land and potable water we would need to produce the same amount of fuel, but it also eliminates that food versus fuel debate entirely.鈥�
Algae鈥檚 rapid growth cycle is another advantage. Corn, a potential biofuel crop, is harvested every 120 days on average and is not grown in the winter. Algae can be harvested every 10 days and thrives in diverse conditions鈥攅ven beneath glaciers.
Dr. Eigenbrodt's interest in algae began when he was attempting to use the organism as a biofuel for fuel cells.
From Fuel Cell to Fueling the Lab鈥檚 Research
Dr. Eigenbrodt鈥檚 study of algae, which he refers to as an 鈥渦nderdog鈥� organism, began through his research with fuel cells. Originally aiming to produce ethanol from algae to power his fuel cells, he soon realized the project had much broader potential.
鈥淓ver since, and especially with the work of my students, this work in algae has taken a life of its own,鈥� he said.
His team focuses on optimizing algae鈥檚 most valuable traits: increasing its oil production, accelerating its growth and leveraging algae to help address other environmental problems. Research in each of these areas has commenced this academic year.
Clayton, who is in the combined BS/MS program in Chemistry, has worked in the Eigenbrodt Lab since she was a first-year student. During a review of the literature on algae, she identified a gap in existing research: the role of growth media, specifically pH levels, in algae鈥檚 oil production. She proposed a theory to Dr. Eigenbrodt, and with his guidance began experimenting with the algae species they had in the lab鈥攐ne from the Adriatic Sea, chosen for its ability to grow easily in cooler temperatures and in brackish waters.
鈥淲e have found that by stressing the algae through altering the pH level in certain ways, we can make it produce more oil,鈥� she said.
The team has also experimented with alternative growth media, yielding promising results for the future of algal farming, specifically in places where having such farms may provide other environmental benefits.
鈥淲e changed the nitrogen source and found it can grow in urea, which would then suggest that maybe we could have algal farms at wastewater facilities,鈥� Dr. Eigenbrodt said. 鈥淲astewater plants are pumping all that nutrient-rich water into our oceans, which then have these algal blooms you see on the news. But what if we had algal farms coupled with wastewater facilities, so they can pump that nutrient-rich water into the farm and algae can scrub the nutrients out before it鈥檚 sent into the ocean?鈥�
A similar approach, Dr. Eigenbrodt says, could be applied to industrial sites with high carbon emissions. By integrating algal farms at these sites, algae could capture that carbon for use in photosynthesis, leaving behind oxygen as a byproduct.
Dr. Eigenbodt and his student researchers check the status of algae growing under different variables.
From Fuel Cell to Fueling the Lab鈥檚 Research
The Eigenbrodt lab has also been a hub for interdisciplinary work. Most recently, Lisa Rodrigues, PhD, professor of Geography in the Environment, and her team partnered with the lab to explore whether algae may be able to break down microplastics, an increasingly urgent pollution issue.
鈥淥ne of the appeals in joining Dr. Eigenbrodt鈥檚 lab was that in addition to working to better produce a cleaner fuel, we're simultaneously tackling other environmental problems,鈥� Clayton said. 鈥淧ersonally, it feels really nice to be able to put my strengths to use in ways that will help improve the world in which I live.鈥�
It鈥檚 a shared sentiment among the students working in the lab, who have responded to the challenging research with excitement and dedication.聽
鈥淭he algae project has grown tremendously, and the students seem to really enjoy all the directions it is branching,鈥� Dr. Eigenbrodt said. 鈥淏ut it can be stressful. Algae doesn't wait for you. It keeps growing, and quickly. We test it every week and if we miss a week, we might as well scrap the whole project. It is all hands on deck, and the students have been sensational with that.鈥�
For student researchers like Clayton, who have dedicated the last half-decade to this work, the fulfillment is not just the discoveries they make, but the opportunity to inspire the next wave of scientists to contribute to algae research and help change the narrative of the slimy green life form.
鈥淚t would be really nice to one day, driven by the work of our lab and all the other algae researchers, see the public image of algae go from something of a pest into something that could really change the world.鈥�