Sandia Labs to transform pollution into fuel

CALIFORNIA, August 9, 2017 - One of California’s most polluted lakes will be Sandia National Laboratories’ test site as they attempt to use algae to not only clean the lake, but to also produce renewable, domestic fuel. Researchers will use a patented fermentation process to convert the algae into fuel for Sandia’s Salton Sea Biomass Remediation Project (SABRE). The project is funded by the Energy Department’s Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO) in the hopes they can determine the fuel’s viability as one of the nation’s diverse energy sources. “The early results we’re already getting from the Salton Sea appear to be superior to results from similar algae systems. It’s really promising,” Sandia biochemist Ryan Davis said. If SABRE succeeds, it could have a global effect, solving issues in pollution, fuels and feedstock.