Justin Nybo, Weber State University
Chemistry
Finding a source of energy to supply the demands of energy consumption globally is one of the biggest problems facing society today. With fuel for transportation, heating, and manufacturing representing 70% of energy demands, an efficient fuel source must be used to supply the world’s energy needs (Gouveia and Oliveira, 2009). Algae represent an abundant source of biomass that could be used as a source to make biodiesel. Over the past several years, microalgae have become a logical potential candidate for producing biofuel in large masses. This is mainly due to the fact that they are more efficient at photosynthetic processes than traditional crops grown on the land (Vasudevan, 2008). Another feature of algae that make it suitable as a source for biodiesel is the fact that it can survive in harsh environments, such as salty water or compromised water where crops would not be able to grow (Mata et al., 2010). For my project, I researched and tested the effect of varying light frequency and intensity on the lipid production of Chlorella vulgaris algae. I along with Dr. Herzog and Abram Bernard, set up an array involving 40 flasks that were split into 8 rows and 5 columns. Each row had a unique frequency of light that came from a combination of red, green or blue LEDs. Each column varied the light intensity by changing the distance of the flask from the light source. The goal of our research was to show that algae of the species Chlorella vulgaris could be grown in this system and that algae growth rates were dependent on light frequency and intensity. This was accomplished by converting the lipids produced by the algae into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and then analyzing the FAMEs using a gas chromatograph (GC). In order for this analysis to be effective in terms of accuracy and precision, a quantitative method was developed and verified to quantify the lipid production of the algae under different light conditions. The light intensity and the number of photons of light emitted in each column were monitored by Chandler Greenwell, a fellow Chemistry student. The correlation between light intensity and the quantity of algae was noted during this project.