Mumbai: In their effort to find an
alternate and cost-effective fuel, scientists at the Indian
Institute of Science (IISc) have found it possible to extract
oil from a type of single-celled microscopic algae `Diatoms`
by housing them within `biological solar panels`.
The scientists proposed creating a biological solar
panel, which will contain diatoms instead of photovoltaic
cells. Diatoms would float about in a nutrient-rich water
solution and produce oil when exposed to sunlight.
Diatoms are commonly observed as a brown skin coating
submerged stones in rivers and lakes and as phytoplankton in
seas and oceans, typically contain oil droplets inside their
cells, quite similar to petroleum.
The oil is a food source for the plants in lean times.
Scientific analysis of diatom oil has shown that it is very
suitable for use as biofuel.
"Here we propose altering cells of the diatoms so that
they actively secrete their oil droplets. We propose "milking"
of diatoms without killing their cells similar to secretion of
milk by selective breeding of cattle and alter their
environment to maximise the rate of milk secretion," Prof T V
Ramachandra of Centre for Ecological Sciences at IISc told
from Bangalore.
Bureau Report
