SBIR Phase II: On-Farm Algae Production for Livestock Feed and Biofuel

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目计划改进和测试农场藻类生产和收获商业化的原型设施。藻类最初将用于牲畜饲料，未来将用于生物燃料。该项目的目标是建设农场藻类基础设施的新兴全球市场。在消费者层面，消费者对肉类、牛奶、奶酪和鸡蛋中的Omega-3有益健康的积极反应推动了市场的发展。这项研究的更广泛影响是：增加动物饲料藻类生产的科学和技术知识；种植、收获和利用可能被忽视的藻类品种；改善消费者健康，特别是心血管健康，减少肥胖；满足畜禽饲料对藻类的需求；并建造藻类设施，当石油开采技术成熟时，这些设施将能够扩展到生物燃料生产。与陆地农业相比，在农场生产藻类可以节约能源，保护环境，使用更少的水、燃料和肥料。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project plans to refine and test prototype facilities for commercialization of on-farm algae production and harvesting. Algae will be utilized initially for livestock feed and in future for bio-fuel. The project targets an emerging global market for construction of on-farm algae infrastructure. At the consumer level, the market is driven by favorable consumer response to Omega-3 health benefits in meat, milk, cheese and eggs.The broader impacts of this research are: to increase scientific and technical knowledge of algae production for animal feed; to grow, harvest and utilize algae strains that might otherwise be overlooked; to improve consumer health, especially cardio-vascular health, and reduce obesity; to meet the demand for algae in livestock feed; and to construct algae facilities which will be able to expand into bio-fuel production when oil extraction technologies mature. On-farm algae production conserves energy and protects the environment by using less water, fuel, and fertilizer than land-based farming.