Pilot farm grows salicornia in Mexico using seawater; potential biodiesel feedstock is brine-tolerant

In Mexico, the former head of the University of Arizona Environmental Research Lab has established a pilot scale farm to grow salicornia, or sea asparagus, a salt-tolerant plant that grows in inhospitable soils and can be converted into meal for livestock, and produces oils for biodiesel conversion. The non-profit Seawater Foundation is raising $35 million for a demonstration-scale farm.

Salt water-based biofuel background

In Australia, researchers at Murdoch University will set up a series of saline algae test ponds and photobioreactors in a bid to reduce the cost of algae production from $11.46 per kilo to a target of $.95 per kilo. The university has received $1.8 million in federal government support for the project, which will be conducted in conjunction with research efforts in India and China.

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