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EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State University and ExxonMobil are working together to expand research into advance algae-based fuels.
The East Lansing school announced the $1 million effort on Wednesday.
The overall goal of the partnership is to improve the efficiency of photosynthesis in microalgae to produce biofuels and bioproducts. Photosynthesis is used by algae to capture solar energy and the first step in converting the energy from the sun into a liquid fuel.
Past research has shown that algae photosynthesis can be highly efficient in a lab. Under realistic growth conditions however, they note that efficiency drops. Researchers say they want to see whether algae can be made more efficient under harsh conditions.
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