Fuel from algae?

Forget corn, sugar and switchgrass.

David Summers wants to fuel your car with algae grown underground.

The University of Missouri-Rolla mining engineer says the nation's energy crisis could be solved by an overlooked source: green, slimy algae — slick and buoyant because of its high oil content. And he wants to grow it in a strange place: in the university's experimental mine.

"We've got tubes in the ground now. Or rather, under the ground," he said.

Plexiglass tubes filled with several strains of algae line an empty hallway in the mine. Water, carbon dioxide and nutrients percolate up through the column. Different growth lights shine on the tubes. The slime is one of the fastest-growing photosynthesizers on Earth.

Most algae are between 20 percent and 25 percent oil. But when stressed, some algae have achieved 50 percent oil content.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory funded work with algae for nearly 20 years. A 1998 project summary found much promise: Peak productions in test ponds, if sustained for a year, would be equivalent to more than 10,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre.

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