In Hawaii, at the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant pathologist Lisa Keith has spent the past 5 years fine-tuning conditions under which Chlorella protothecoides algae can be coaxed into producing oil from discarded papayas and other unmarketable crops or byproducts, like glycerol. The effort is part of a zero-waste system being championed and supported by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) to ease the Island State’s reliance on imported oil for its fuel and energy needs.
