Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

On a mission to promote Green Gold

Ira A. Levine

Thiruvananthapuram: Back in 1975, when Ira A. Levine decided to give up medical education to indulge in his favourite sport, rugby, he had no idea of what he would end up studying.

“I left because our dean would not allow me to play rugby,” he recalls.

Mr. Levine later joined the Cornell University as a student of phycology, the study of algae. He went on to take a Ph.D. Today, as professor at the University of Southern Maine and one of the leading phycologists in the world, he tours the world, delivering lectures on his favourite subject, the potential of algae as bio-fuel.

In a talk with The Hindu on his visit to the city as part of a Fulbright exchange programme, Mr. Levine elaborated on how algae have come to be recognised as a bio-fuel feedstock that could help cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

“Across the world, there is considerable interest in developing technology for the extraction of bio-ethanol and bio-diesel from algae. The U.S. alone has invested over a billion dollars over the last five years to look at algae as a source of bio-fuel.”

While bio-ethanol is produced by extracting sugars present inside low-fat algae like seaweed, bio-diesel is based on lipids or fats present in some other kinds of algae. “Both these efforts are being pursued on a commercial basis all over the world,” says Mr. Levine. “While some companies are working on different ways to grow algae, others are working on methods to make them grow faster. I am optimistic that in three to four years, very exciting opportunities will open up in this area.”

Mr. Levine said algae could produce at least 100 times more bio-ethanol than from corn, making it an effective substitute to food crops in making bio-fuel. “It is 50 to 60 times more productive than palm oil, the highest yielding crop-based bio-diesel. That is what makes algae so exciting. They grow so fast and unlike palm or corn, 100 per cent of the algae can be used. Besides, the farmer can turn around a crop in two weeks. If the crop is wiped out by a hurricane or monsoon, he can be back in business in days.”

Mr. Levine outlines five major challenges in producing bio-fuel from using algae. “You have to know what to grow, how to grow it, how to harvest it and how to extract bio-fuel. Research institutes have identified various types of micro-algae to be cultivated. The manner of farming also has been addressed. Right now, work on how to harvest and extract in a cost-effective manner are the two big challenges.”

India, he said, had a great potential for farming of algae. “Here, you have the right temperature and environment for algae cultivation. You have the people, the entrepreneurial spirit, university researchers and interest in subject to come up with results.”

He said he was amazed at the number of people studying algae in India. “Delhi University has a dedicated department. Botany departments are disappearing in the U.S. So it is refreshing to see so many PG students studying algae here. It brings great joy.”

An expert in the commercial cultivation of algae, he says Kerala could put its decentralised system to good use to promote algae farming for empowering women and society. “Coastal fishing communities could be encouraged to take up cultivation of marine algae as well as inland farming of micro-algae. It could generate additional income for families.”

Mr. Levine said he was looking forward to the seventh International Conference on Algal Biotechnology to be held in New Delhi on December 1.

On Monday, he is scheduled to deliver a lecture on Bio-diesel and Bio-fuels from Marine Algae at the Department of Aquatic Biology on the Karyavattom campus of the University of Kerala.

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