In art, sometimes a "happy accident" can turn a disaster into a triumph. Trum's reflecting pool may be the genesis......
Algae is explored as a sustainable alternative energy source primarily through biofuel production and bio-photovoltaic (BPV) power generation. By harnessing tiny aquatic organisms that convert sunlight into energy, it offers a nearly carbon-neutral method to replace fossil fuels.
1. Algae BiofuelsInstead of using land-heavy crops like corn or sugarcane, algae can produce energy-rich, natural oils.Efficiency: Algae can produce up to \(60\) times more oil per acre than traditional land-based plants.Resource Friendly: They do not compete with food production and can be grown in brackish water, man-made ponds, or wastewater.Carbon Cycling: They absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or industrial emitters to grow, effectively recycling greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Algae-Powered Electricity (Bio-photovoltaics)Instead of extracting oil, researchers are capturing energy directly from the natural photosynthesis process of algae.How it works: When algae absorb sunlight, they release electrons. By trapping these electrons within specialized power cells, they can generate an electrical current.Practical Use: While BPVs currently generate much less power than traditional silicon solar panels, they are being developed to power low-energy devices (such as Internet of Things sensors) without requiring hazardous battery materials.The Process: The only byproduct of this energy generation is water.
3. Current LimitationsDespite its enormous potential, scaling algae energy to replace mainstream fossil fuels still faces obstacles:High Costs: The expenses associated with constructing large-scale cultivation facilities, harvesting, and extracting the oils are currently higher than traditional fuel costs.Industry Barriers: Experts on ResearchGate cite that a lack of political incentives and influence from established fossil fuel systems hinder commercial progress.
To read more about ongoing research and refinement processes, you can review the Energy 101: Algae-to-Fuel guide from the Department of Energy.If you are interested, I can:Provide details on the different strains of algae used (macro vs. micro)Compare algae biofuels directly with traditional biodieselShare how genetic engineering is boosting the lipid (oil) output of algae.
Mr or Dr Solomon, you're talking about what COULD be done, and the value algae COULD confer. In fact, no one is doing anything with it. Past governments didn't identify and correct the source of algae, which you're suggesting would have been a mistake, or a waste, and the clown/princess/vacuum that lives in the White House now just wants the reflecting pool to be a different color.
It sounds like you're very knowledgeable, and someone ought to consult you. Instead of writing comments like the one you just published, you should offer some receptive US government (not the one we have now) your insights as to how to take great advantage of an algae infestation no one has been able to suppress anyway.
Genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter’s ambitious attempt to produce commercial-scale algae biofuel ultimately stalled, culminating in his company, Viridos (formerly Synthetic Genomics), filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2025.
The high-profile endeavor faced significant scientific, operational, and financial hurdles:
Key Milestones & Partnerships
ExxonMobil Partnership: In 2009, Venter formed a massive partnership with ExxonMobil backed by over $600 million in investments.
Scientific Breakthrough: Using synthetic biology and CRISPR, his team engineered an algae strain that doubled oil production without compromising its natural growth rate.
The "Sumo Wrestler" Goal: The objective was to create a modified strain that possessed the heavy oil reserves of a "sumo wrestler" while growing as rapidly as a standard algae strategy.
The industry can be organized into three core categories:
1. Active Algae Biofuel & Energy PioneersA few specialized companies still focus heavily on producing "green crude," jet fuel, or bio-crude out of microalgae:
Sapphire Energy: One of the longest-running operators, focused on large-scale open-pond cultivation to create drop-in "green crude" for ground transportation and aviation.
Cellana: Uses a hybrid outdoor cultivation system to produce a diverse yield, generating low-carbon biofuels alongside high-value omega oils to make the energy production economically viable.
Genifuel Corporation: Specializes in hydrothermal liquefaction technology, which converts wet algae biomass directly into biocrude oil and natural gas in less than an hour.
Manta Biofuel: Focuses on a low-cost, decentralized agricultural model, growing wild algae in open ponds and utilizing specialized harvesters to produce a cost-competitive renewable crude oil.
2. Next-Gen Tech & Carbon Capture StartupsNewer clean-tech players focus less on commodity fuel production and more on the intersection of artificial intelligence, carbon-negative manufacturing, and emission reduction:Provectus Algae: An Australian biotech company utilizing automated, AI-driven photobioreactors to optimize algae growth, targeting carbon-negative biomanufacturing and methane-reducing livestock feed.Pond Technologies: Focuses on carbon-capture energy systems, building bioreactors that connect directly to industrial smokestacks to feed unregulated greenhouse gas emissions to oil-rich algae.HutanBio: A newer UK-based startup developing specialized microalgae varieties tailored specifically for the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) sector.
3. The "Survival Pivot" Giants (Biochemicals & Nutrition)These multinational entities entered the space for energy but survived by shifting their primary supply chains to premium, high-margin algae derivatives, while keeping biofuel R&D on the backburner:
Corbion: A global leader leveraging large-scale fermentation to produce sustainable algae lipids, specializing in aquaculture feeds and bio-based industrial chemicals.
Algenol: Originally raised over $100 million to commercialize ethanol from algae, but pivoted to utilizing its advanced photobioreactor tech for commercial skin care extracts and spirulina proteins.
Second, when you use words like "oil" and "crude," my reflex is to think this is about burning something. I completed a quiz from "The Lever" this morning, and one of the questions I got wrong was the American cause of death that was greater than all the others listed. My guess was tornadoes. It was in fact heat stroke. We have a climate change problem. We have to burn less, not find more things to burn.
Third, if you're showing off, I, for one, am VERY impressed! As I said, you're clearly extremely knowledgeable about this science. But it doesn't do anyone any good for you to show Substack readers how much you know. As you summarized, one company that intended to address this problem went bankrupt. So you need an adaptive solution (that doesn't rest of finding more biologicals to burn) and a receptive government. You might or might not have the first. We most certainly don't have the second.
My audience, hopefully, may include people who can do something about it.
This stuff is only the tip of the iceburg. I used AI, but I've lived a lot of it.
Heat stroke comes from exposure. First order of business in this country is to restore the tree canopy.
In my case, as an investor, I put my money where my mouth is. All stocks are speculative, all businesses are vulnerable. When I was a kid the biggest companies in the US, NY Central and Pennsylvania Rairoad, no longer exist.
Republicans generally oppose alternatives on an ideological, not on a practical basis.
It appears I will never stop wondering, and won't live long enough to find out, what on earth is the Republican/conservative/right wing platform. I don't know what their ideology is. It's so mixed, incoherent, and antithetical to the Constitution of the country they allege to represent.
As for "AI," the term seems to me to be an oxymoron. It's "intelligent," but it's "artificial?" I suppose it's a good way to scoop up content ("intelligence"), but if the content is "artificial" (not real), then I'm not sure what is the value of it. I understand the value of adding machines or calculators. They're fairly simple, and they do real things, but they do them a lot faster than I could do them with a pencil and a piece of paper. I have a friend who owns a coffee business. He imports beans from S America, roasts them, grinds some, bags them, and sells them. It's great coffee, and his price is comparatively low. One day, he sent me a video about his company. It was a male and a female voice, talking about the business, and there were rotating images and photographs. I think it went on for about 20 minutes. I wrote back and told him I didn't understand what this was. It seemed like a cross between an advertisement and a podcast, and it wasn't a very good example of either. He told me he had done it with AI, which had scoured his paperwork and packaging, and put this thing together in five minutes.
I love y our comment (better than mine that we should employ fish/snails/bacteria to control the alga). I have long been interested in alga because I have two ponds that get covered with something every year..some alga and I think some of what I see is the tops of plants growing in the pond. The alga gets blown around and after a windy day is all at one end and then it goes back to being a rather ugly cover for the pond. And yes that is a very judgmental thing to say....I think some of the alga is good for the critters in the pond as it provides cover for them (we sure don't fish there anymore..course when we did fish it was catch and release except me as I did very little of the catching....in fact I hated to catch one and always rooted for the fish!). So for years I've wondered what good use could the is stuff be put to and several years ago, as you point out, developments started to happen that have started to make alga more useful. And the more people know about this the better it is....I only knew because of a very personal interest (how do I get rid of this stuff, and yes there are chemicals I could put in, but I'm not convinced they won't hurt some of the creatures living in the ponds). So many thanks for sharing this info and increasing awareness!!!
This could not be a better explanation of the Trump week,month, year, regime…a cover up of everything, yet the algae reveals the reality of it all. Simple, fast. The Trump solution never understands or fixes the real problem.
Algae, solar, other alternatives are competitors for oil, and Iran's economy is based on high oil prices. We don't need a drop of Middle Eastern oil. Making oil worth less is more effective than threatening, bombing, a land invasion, and our economy would benefit if the allternative energy subsidies would be reinstated, if we buy more vehicles that don't require Big Oil, etc.
It's ironic that the man who is accused of buying the presidency, the first trillionare, made his wealth from government loans, subsidies and contracts.....
Hi Ben, the tarp was a perfect example of the pettiness and childish nature of Trump. He destroys everything he touches and I'm really hoping for rain and thunderstorms tonight for the UFC fight.
Action item for today if you’re on social media…..😂
Narcissists run on attention. Starve one.
On June 14, Boston Indivisible is wishing a happy birthday to literally anything else — a sock, a sandwich, a parking meter, the squirrel that keeps eating your plants. Anything but the person who needs you to notice.
This is our quietest, friendliest act of resistance: total, cheerful indifference. Here's what to do:
Post on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or X/Twitter wishing a happy birthday to any random object, creature, or moment in your life. Use the hashtag #HappyBirthdayAnything so we can find your post and celebrate together.
That's it. No rally. No sign. Just you, your left sock, and a complete lack of interest in whoever's birthday it actually is.
Need inspiration? Here are some starter captions:
Happy birthday to the Market Basket cart with four working wheels. I think about you often. #HappyBirthdayAnything
Happy birthday to my left sock. The right one knows what it did. #HappyBirthdayAnything
Shoutout to the parking meter on Commonwealth Ave that gave me 4 extra minutes once. I think about you. #HappyBirthdayAnything
Happy birthday to my coffee, who has never let me down, lied to me, or attempted a coup. #HappyBirthdayAnything
The tarp actually 'is' the perfect metaphor for trump's administration. It will take years to uncover all the damage his administration has done to this country.
Create a Fascist Museum dedicated to Trump........display all the Orange garbage and line the walls with portraits of the MAGA sycophants that dragged humainty into an Orange gutter.
Thanks Ben for leading the way for truth and democracy by bringing us the straight facts on a daily basis. You do amazing work and it is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
best description of this fraudulent regime. Even his real estate properties are beset with health violations because they are nothing but little fake palaces of filth and gold leaf...
You're dead on as usual Ben, thanks. The Trump regime crime and coverup, with nothing but cruelty, grunge, grime and a broken world for us to clean up.
So Marco has lost his damn mind. He is comparing UFC fights to diplomacy. He says this is a way to bring nations together. Not organizations like USAID which help bring medical care, utritional care, education and vocational training to countries in need.
One little error there, Ben - it's not all a cover-up - because he has the gall to do a lot of it right out in the open. He's too stupid to hide a lot of it.
The hair implants, the flip over, the dying shade, over the orange face? Trump does not solve problems, but hides and covers up the issues. Add on the long drape at Kennedy Center, too.
Many cover ups in his past and more to come! That is the way Trump does things?
The "covered-up" seems to be a permanent symbol of the administration.
In art, sometimes a "happy accident" can turn a disaster into a triumph. Trum's reflecting pool may be the genesis......
Algae is explored as a sustainable alternative energy source primarily through biofuel production and bio-photovoltaic (BPV) power generation. By harnessing tiny aquatic organisms that convert sunlight into energy, it offers a nearly carbon-neutral method to replace fossil fuels.
1. Algae BiofuelsInstead of using land-heavy crops like corn or sugarcane, algae can produce energy-rich, natural oils.Efficiency: Algae can produce up to \(60\) times more oil per acre than traditional land-based plants.Resource Friendly: They do not compete with food production and can be grown in brackish water, man-made ponds, or wastewater.Carbon Cycling: They absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or industrial emitters to grow, effectively recycling greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Algae-Powered Electricity (Bio-photovoltaics)Instead of extracting oil, researchers are capturing energy directly from the natural photosynthesis process of algae.How it works: When algae absorb sunlight, they release electrons. By trapping these electrons within specialized power cells, they can generate an electrical current.Practical Use: While BPVs currently generate much less power than traditional silicon solar panels, they are being developed to power low-energy devices (such as Internet of Things sensors) without requiring hazardous battery materials.The Process: The only byproduct of this energy generation is water.
3. Current LimitationsDespite its enormous potential, scaling algae energy to replace mainstream fossil fuels still faces obstacles:High Costs: The expenses associated with constructing large-scale cultivation facilities, harvesting, and extracting the oils are currently higher than traditional fuel costs.Industry Barriers: Experts on ResearchGate cite that a lack of political incentives and influence from established fossil fuel systems hinder commercial progress.
To read more about ongoing research and refinement processes, you can review the Energy 101: Algae-to-Fuel guide from the Department of Energy.If you are interested, I can:Provide details on the different strains of algae used (macro vs. micro)Compare algae biofuels directly with traditional biodieselShare how genetic engineering is boosting the lipid (oil) output of algae.
Thanks Daniel, science gives me hope for the future. Keep sharing news about real science. We need to keep forward looking.
Mr or Dr Solomon, you're talking about what COULD be done, and the value algae COULD confer. In fact, no one is doing anything with it. Past governments didn't identify and correct the source of algae, which you're suggesting would have been a mistake, or a waste, and the clown/princess/vacuum that lives in the White House now just wants the reflecting pool to be a different color.
It sounds like you're very knowledgeable, and someone ought to consult you. Instead of writing comments like the one you just published, you should offer some receptive US government (not the one we have now) your insights as to how to take great advantage of an algae infestation no one has been able to suppress anyway.
The late, great J. Craif Ventner and DOE were all over it. https://library.ucsd.edu/sdta/companies/jc-venter-institute.html
AI Overview
Genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter’s ambitious attempt to produce commercial-scale algae biofuel ultimately stalled, culminating in his company, Viridos (formerly Synthetic Genomics), filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2025.
The high-profile endeavor faced significant scientific, operational, and financial hurdles:
Key Milestones & Partnerships
ExxonMobil Partnership: In 2009, Venter formed a massive partnership with ExxonMobil backed by over $600 million in investments.
Scientific Breakthrough: Using synthetic biology and CRISPR, his team engineered an algae strain that doubled oil production without compromising its natural growth rate.
The "Sumo Wrestler" Goal: The objective was to create a modified strain that possessed the heavy oil reserves of a "sumo wrestler" while growing as rapidly as a standard algae strategy.
The industry can be organized into three core categories:
1. Active Algae Biofuel & Energy PioneersA few specialized companies still focus heavily on producing "green crude," jet fuel, or bio-crude out of microalgae:
Sapphire Energy: One of the longest-running operators, focused on large-scale open-pond cultivation to create drop-in "green crude" for ground transportation and aviation.
Cellana: Uses a hybrid outdoor cultivation system to produce a diverse yield, generating low-carbon biofuels alongside high-value omega oils to make the energy production economically viable.
Genifuel Corporation: Specializes in hydrothermal liquefaction technology, which converts wet algae biomass directly into biocrude oil and natural gas in less than an hour.
Manta Biofuel: Focuses on a low-cost, decentralized agricultural model, growing wild algae in open ponds and utilizing specialized harvesters to produce a cost-competitive renewable crude oil.
2. Next-Gen Tech & Carbon Capture StartupsNewer clean-tech players focus less on commodity fuel production and more on the intersection of artificial intelligence, carbon-negative manufacturing, and emission reduction:Provectus Algae: An Australian biotech company utilizing automated, AI-driven photobioreactors to optimize algae growth, targeting carbon-negative biomanufacturing and methane-reducing livestock feed.Pond Technologies: Focuses on carbon-capture energy systems, building bioreactors that connect directly to industrial smokestacks to feed unregulated greenhouse gas emissions to oil-rich algae.HutanBio: A newer UK-based startup developing specialized microalgae varieties tailored specifically for the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) sector.
3. The "Survival Pivot" Giants (Biochemicals & Nutrition)These multinational entities entered the space for energy but survived by shifting their primary supply chains to premium, high-margin algae derivatives, while keeping biofuel R&D on the backburner:
Corbion: A global leader leveraging large-scale fermentation to produce sustainable algae lipids, specializing in aquaculture feeds and bio-based industrial chemicals.
Algenol: Originally raised over $100 million to commercialize ethanol from algae, but pivoted to utilizing its advanced photobioreactor tech for commercial skin care extracts and spirulina proteins.
First, very impressive scholarship.
Second, when you use words like "oil" and "crude," my reflex is to think this is about burning something. I completed a quiz from "The Lever" this morning, and one of the questions I got wrong was the American cause of death that was greater than all the others listed. My guess was tornadoes. It was in fact heat stroke. We have a climate change problem. We have to burn less, not find more things to burn.
Third, if you're showing off, I, for one, am VERY impressed! As I said, you're clearly extremely knowledgeable about this science. But it doesn't do anyone any good for you to show Substack readers how much you know. As you summarized, one company that intended to address this problem went bankrupt. So you need an adaptive solution (that doesn't rest of finding more biologicals to burn) and a receptive government. You might or might not have the first. We most certainly don't have the second.
My audience, hopefully, may include people who can do something about it.
This stuff is only the tip of the iceburg. I used AI, but I've lived a lot of it.
Heat stroke comes from exposure. First order of business in this country is to restore the tree canopy.
In my case, as an investor, I put my money where my mouth is. All stocks are speculative, all businesses are vulnerable. When I was a kid the biggest companies in the US, NY Central and Pennsylvania Rairoad, no longer exist.
Republicans generally oppose alternatives on an ideological, not on a practical basis.
It appears I will never stop wondering, and won't live long enough to find out, what on earth is the Republican/conservative/right wing platform. I don't know what their ideology is. It's so mixed, incoherent, and antithetical to the Constitution of the country they allege to represent.
As for "AI," the term seems to me to be an oxymoron. It's "intelligent," but it's "artificial?" I suppose it's a good way to scoop up content ("intelligence"), but if the content is "artificial" (not real), then I'm not sure what is the value of it. I understand the value of adding machines or calculators. They're fairly simple, and they do real things, but they do them a lot faster than I could do them with a pencil and a piece of paper. I have a friend who owns a coffee business. He imports beans from S America, roasts them, grinds some, bags them, and sells them. It's great coffee, and his price is comparatively low. One day, he sent me a video about his company. It was a male and a female voice, talking about the business, and there were rotating images and photographs. I think it went on for about 20 minutes. I wrote back and told him I didn't understand what this was. It seemed like a cross between an advertisement and a podcast, and it wasn't a very good example of either. He told me he had done it with AI, which had scoured his paperwork and packaging, and put this thing together in five minutes.
I love y our comment (better than mine that we should employ fish/snails/bacteria to control the alga). I have long been interested in alga because I have two ponds that get covered with something every year..some alga and I think some of what I see is the tops of plants growing in the pond. The alga gets blown around and after a windy day is all at one end and then it goes back to being a rather ugly cover for the pond. And yes that is a very judgmental thing to say....I think some of the alga is good for the critters in the pond as it provides cover for them (we sure don't fish there anymore..course when we did fish it was catch and release except me as I did very little of the catching....in fact I hated to catch one and always rooted for the fish!). So for years I've wondered what good use could the is stuff be put to and several years ago, as you point out, developments started to happen that have started to make alga more useful. And the more people know about this the better it is....I only knew because of a very personal interest (how do I get rid of this stuff, and yes there are chemicals I could put in, but I'm not convinced they won't hurt some of the creatures living in the ponds). So many thanks for sharing this info and increasing awareness!!!
❤️
A cover-up that makes Nixon's cover-up of Watergate look wise open by comparison.
For sure. Someone skilled better make a cartoon about this to pierce the brains of the idiotic who cannot see this perfect metaphor.
It is GALLING to see in plain sight how abysmally incompetent his governing is- and have hind get away with it.
This could not be a better explanation of the Trump week,month, year, regime…a cover up of everything, yet the algae reveals the reality of it all. Simple, fast. The Trump solution never understands or fixes the real problem.
The explanation is that he is nutsy koo koo.
Algae, solar, other alternatives are competitors for oil, and Iran's economy is based on high oil prices. We don't need a drop of Middle Eastern oil. Making oil worth less is more effective than threatening, bombing, a land invasion, and our economy would benefit if the allternative energy subsidies would be reinstated, if we buy more vehicles that don't require Big Oil, etc.
It's ironic that the man who is accused of buying the presidency, the first trillionare, made his wealth from government loans, subsidies and contracts.....
In today's Observer, Bill Mckibben suggests that Trump should awarded a small gold prize as electric vehicle salesman of the quarter.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/02/evs-autos-energy-oil-iran-war-electric-transport-fossil-fuels.html?msockid=1b3548f3f3dd6fe401c45a95f23d6ef7
You nailed it !!!!!!!!!
Hi Ben, the tarp was a perfect example of the pettiness and childish nature of Trump. He destroys everything he touches and I'm really hoping for rain and thunderstorms tonight for the UFC fight.
Action item for today if you’re on social media…..😂
Narcissists run on attention. Starve one.
On June 14, Boston Indivisible is wishing a happy birthday to literally anything else — a sock, a sandwich, a parking meter, the squirrel that keeps eating your plants. Anything but the person who needs you to notice.
This is our quietest, friendliest act of resistance: total, cheerful indifference. Here's what to do:
Post on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or X/Twitter wishing a happy birthday to any random object, creature, or moment in your life. Use the hashtag #HappyBirthdayAnything so we can find your post and celebrate together.
That's it. No rally. No sign. Just you, your left sock, and a complete lack of interest in whoever's birthday it actually is.
Need inspiration? Here are some starter captions:
Happy birthday to the Market Basket cart with four working wheels. I think about you often. #HappyBirthdayAnything
Happy birthday to my left sock. The right one knows what it did. #HappyBirthdayAnything
Shoutout to the parking meter on Commonwealth Ave that gave me 4 extra minutes once. I think about you. #HappyBirthdayAnything
Happy birthday to my coffee, who has never let me down, lied to me, or attempted a coup. #HappyBirthdayAnything
https://www.mobilize.us/bostonindivisible/event/971415/
⛈️⚡️🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟
⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
The tarp actually 'is' the perfect metaphor for trump's administration. It will take years to uncover all the damage his administration has done to this country.
Create a Fascist Museum dedicated to Trump........display all the Orange garbage and line the walls with portraits of the MAGA sycophants that dragged humainty into an Orange gutter.
In the works. Miami.
Thanks Ben for leading the way for truth and democracy by bringing us the straight facts on a daily basis. You do amazing work and it is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
best description of this fraudulent regime. Even his real estate properties are beset with health violations because they are nothing but little fake palaces of filth and gold leaf...
Perfect post 🙏
You're dead on as usual Ben, thanks. The Trump regime crime and coverup, with nothing but cruelty, grunge, grime and a broken world for us to clean up.
So Marco has lost his damn mind. He is comparing UFC fights to diplomacy. He says this is a way to bring nations together. Not organizations like USAID which help bring medical care, utritional care, education and vocational training to countries in need.
Marco also compared the UFC fights to the moon landing. He has lost his mind. 🤯
Thank you so much for your best article, and please One day share it the situation of Afghan Allies.
Great piece Ben, keep up the great work!
One little error there, Ben - it's not all a cover-up - because he has the gall to do a lot of it right out in the open. He's too stupid to hide a lot of it.
Today's story is the following
KNICKS IN 5
WORLD CHAMPIONS 2026
NO ONE CARES ABOUT UFC TRAILER TRASH
Thank you for your endless reporting of the truth!!!
The hair implants, the flip over, the dying shade, over the orange face? Trump does not solve problems, but hides and covers up the issues. Add on the long drape at Kennedy Center, too.
Many cover ups in his past and more to come! That is the way Trump does things?