There are algae we don’t want. And algae we do. A pilot algae farm now operates near Wooster (pictured) and CFAES’s research arm, OARDC, is one of the project’s partners. Studies at the farm should give us new, specific details on the system’s costs, biofuel yields, evaporation rates (including an innovative material that cuts them), and sustainability. Of note: Some of the carbon dioxide released by the farm’s coal-burning greenhouse heat source gets reused. It gets pumped back into the water, which helps the algae grow. Also: Residue left after processing the algae for biofuel also gets reused. It feeds an anaerobic digester that in turn generates energy too.