Woods Hole Advances Kelp Breeding for Biofuels

WOODS HOLE, Mass. Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are breeding fast-growing strains of kelp in a laboratory overlooking the Atlantic, advancing research from a recently ended federal program aimed at producing sustainable biofuels to power ships and aircraft.

The work builds on the Department of Energy's MARINER program, launched in 2016 and concluded in 2024 after six years. Researchers developed heat-resistant kelp varieties, studied seaweed genomes and selectively bred strains that in some cases yield up to three times more biomass than conventional types. Scott Lindell's lab focused on traits like non-reproductive capabilities to avoid interbreeding with wild kelp, facilitating future large-scale farming.

Kelp offers a potential alternative to petroleum-based fuels for aviation and maritime transport, which rely on liquid energy sources unlike cars that can run on solar- or wind-generated electricity. The seaweed can be converted into biofuel through hydrothermal liquefaction, a process using heat and pressure. "We need other sources of energy that are sustainable, we can't just rely on petroleum," said Lindell, a marine scientist at Woods Hole,...