Published On: 10.25.23 | 

By: Hazel Scott

Alabama State University researchers secure $318,000 Energy Department grant

ASU researchers Science collage

Harvey Hou and Vida Dennis, researchers at Alabama State University, along with ASU students, will work with partners at two other institutions under a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. (contributed)

The research could help unlock secrets about using blue-green algae to produce renewable biofuels, fertilizer and other useful chemicals. 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded two Alabama State University (ASU) researchers a grant to help advance knowledge in biofuels and fertilizer production.

Harvey Hou and Vida Dennis were awarded a $318,000 grant to conduct high levels of research into cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, and its potential for use as a renewable biofuel and as a component for producing other useful chemicals. Hou and Dennis are the co-principal investigators for the grant.

The DOE project will be led by Washington University in St. Louis with the participation of ASU and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The three institutions will work together to explore the secrets of photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation using cyanobacteria, in hopes of developing technologies for the production of renewable biofuels and nitrogen fertilizers.

Washington University is home to one of the nation’s most important research centers in photosynthesis. NREL is among the world’s leading institutions in energy research and the development of renewable technologies.

Hou said both ASU doctoral and undergraduate students will be involved in the research project during academic years 2023-2026. He said five ASU students will take part in research during summer 2024, with three working at NREL, headquartered in Colorado, and two working at Washington University.

“This research project opens the door for ASU undergraduates into the field of renewable energy research,” Hou said, adding that the project will also contribute to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) research at ASU, a historically Black institution.

A version of this article originally appeared on the ASU website.