The US Department of Energy says that algae can produce thirty times more energy per acre than conventional biofuels. Moreover, because pond scum grows in almost any enclosed space, it’s now being tested at several major power plants as a carbon dioxide absorber. Smokestacks feed into ponds and algae consumes the CO2. It’s a delicious possibility, but to make it more of a reality, Exxon has partnered with biology’s bad boy, Craig Venter, and his company, Synthetic Genomics Inc. (SGI).
