Research Paper:
NASA’s OMEGA
Project
By: Roberta Marcos
What are Microalgae?
 tiny single-celled organisms
 fastest-growing plant on
Earth
 produce a lot of oil
Algae vs. human hair
Why Microalgae?
BIODIESEL CROPS
PRODUCTION (GAL/ACREYR)
Soybeans
50
Sunflower
100
Canola
160
Jatropha
200
Palm Oil
600
Microalgae
Btwn 2000 and 5000
Why Offshore?
 Need wastewater
Wastewater systems are deep
inside city
San Francisco, CA
How exactly would it
work?
 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/rese
arch/OMEGA/index.html
Is this all hypothetical?
 San Francisco
 Add wastewater & algae
 Algae grow on the
nutrients & sunlight
 The column circulates
water & puts CO2
 Remove excess algae from
column and harvest it.
Interesting?
 Plants for energy?!
 No patent?!
Predictions?
 “"Algae Systems" has
licensed the technology
from NASA, but judging
by their website they are
not doing anything and
are not capable of doing
anything.
 http://algaesystems.com/
Dr. Jonathan Trent- Head Scientist
References
 Trent, J. (2012, September). Jonathan Trent: Energy from
floating algae pods
[Video File]. Retrieved From:
http://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_trent_energy_from_
floating_algae_pods.html
 Culler , J. NASA, Ames Research Center. (2012).
Omega. Retrieved from NASA Ames Research
Center website:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/research/OMEGA/ind
ex.html