Music Narrator (Peter) : At UTS we believe that algal biofuels must be part of a sustainable
energy future. Our international team of researchers are advancing biofuel production and we want
to make sure that this knowledge is transferred to industry.
Bojan: I have been working in the area of algal biofuel production for the past 4 years
and I truly believe that algal biofuels have the potential to be the sustainable fuels
of the future. We aim to replicate nature's process, only faster.
Narrator: The specialists within our team are addressing the bottlenecks in algal biofuel
production. Martin: We are using state of the art photobioreactors
as you can see here. They are custom built to facilitate algal growth in a fully computer
controlled environment. This is a world leading technology and you can mimic real world conditions,
in there, as you get out in the field like seasonal variations or even diurnal light
and temperature cycles. But we can also measure metabolic gas flux uptakes and this allows
us to compare different algal species and how effective they are in Carbon uptake.
Narrator: Our expertise in algal photophysiology means that we can investigate photosynthetic
processes from all angles to give our industry partners fast reliable feedback. The broad experience of our young research team
gives them a head start on strain selection and improving lipid yields.
Supriya: I have been working in this field for 4 years in India and at UTS as a part
of UTS and CSIRO collaborative work I am investigating the different environmental parameters on
growth and lipid production in microalgae. Dale: My PhD is focused on improving the photosynthetic
inefficiencies of a small marine algae Nannochloropsis oculata and to see if this has an effect on
improving lipid production within the cell. Narrator: Our partnership with CSIRO Australian
National Algae Culture Collection means we are able to use key algal strains to optimise
growth and product output" Our commitment to keeping the community engaged
with sustainable energy outcomes through exhibitions, installations and presentations means our
industry partners can reach a broader audience. Industry partners have access to our state-of-the-art
photobioreactor technology and our team's broader expertise in algal physiology. This
means we can offer industry increased oil productivity, efficiency and value for commercial-
scale algal farms. Peter: At the end our partnership with a industry
we'll be able to deliver key products that will allow the industry to have a cost effective
solution to a biofuels problem.