Deep sea research is taking place over 1,500 miles from the coastline. At South Dakota Mines, researchers have one big question – how can we turn seaweed into jet fuel?
It is a complicated process transitioning plant materials to a viable, economically competitive fuel source, but researchers at South Dakota Mines have received a $1.5-million grant to create what they call biocrude.
Rajesh Shenede is the interim department head of the university’s department of chemistry and biological engineering. He said this is urgent research to mitigate carbon releases.
“The carbon intensity is, under what current practices are, having huge impact on the environment," Shenede said. "At the end, the technology you take into account and practice at the industrial scale is going to have an impact on the environment somehow.”
Seaweed presents challenges though. Namely, the high salt content of the ocean-farmed crop makes it extremely corrosive in storage. Further, the product is currently marketing at two dollars higher than conventional fuels, meaning there is no industry incentive to make the switch.
Shenede said that’s where Mines professors and students come in.
“Aviation fuel demand is continuously rising," Shenede said. "That puts us to the challenge, you know? How can you cut down the cost of aviation fuel. At the same time, if we continuously derive our aviation fuel from the fossil (fuels) then we’re going to deplete the resource.”
In total, Shenede says over 30 million pounds of seaweed are already being farmed yearly worldwide. Fan Zheng is an assistant professor in the chemistry and health sciences department.
“With this opportunity we can train our students with research in biomass converting into biofuel," Zheng said. "Seaweed is a really normal food that we can convert to be the biofuel that can power the cars and aircrafts in the future.”
The money was provided to the university by the federal Department of Energy.