As the global population inches toward 10 billion and climate change threatens existing food security, algae is entering the stage
But in the U.S., Greene says algae began to generate interest during the 1970s, when gas shortages prompted scientists to look for other sources of fuel. Like corn, algae can be turned into ethanol and used as a gas substitute. Compared to an acre of corn, algae grown in the same amount of space can produce 10 to“We figured out how to grow these algae pretty well.
“I was excited by things like Impossible Foods,” says Greene. “These plant-based meat substitutes use things like soy and pea in their production, and I tell people algae is so much more nutritious. Those things are like cardboard compared to algae.”by 2029—algae is poised to become a popular ingredient in bacon and burgers.
Say you grow algae in an inexpensive container like a human-made pond, she says at some point that algae will grow so quickly and become so dense that light will no longer penetrate the pond, and growth will stall.