▁at ▁waste water ▁treatment ▁plants . ▁This ▁oil - rich ▁alg ae ▁can ▁then ▁be ▁extracted ▁from ▁the ▁system ▁and ▁processed ▁into ▁b iod ies el , ▁with ▁the ▁d ried ▁remainder ▁further ▁re process ed ▁to ▁create ▁eth an ol . ▁ ▁The ▁production ▁of ▁alg ae ▁to ▁har vest ▁oil ▁for ▁b iod ies el ▁has ▁not ▁yet ▁been ▁undert aken ▁on ▁a ▁commercial ▁scale , ▁but ▁feas ibility ▁studies ▁have ▁been ▁conducted ▁to ▁arrive ▁at ▁the ▁above ▁yield ▁estimate . ▁In ▁addition ▁to ▁its ▁project ed ▁high ▁yield , ▁alg ac ulture   — ▁unlike ▁c rop - based ▁bio fu els ▁— ▁does ▁not ▁ent ail ▁a ▁decrease ▁in ▁food ▁production , ▁since ▁it ▁requires ▁neither ▁far ml and ▁nor ▁fresh ▁water . ▁Many ▁companies ▁are ▁purs uing ▁alg ae ▁bio - react ors ▁for ▁various ▁purposes , ▁including ▁scaling ▁up ▁b iod ies el ▁production ▁to ▁commercial ▁levels . ▁ ▁Prof . ▁Rod r igo ▁E . ▁Te ix e ira ▁from ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Alabama ▁in ▁Hun ts ville ▁demonstrated ▁the ▁extra ction ▁of ▁b iod ies el ▁lip ids ▁from ▁wet ▁alg ae ▁using ▁a ▁simple ▁and ▁econom ical ▁reaction ▁in ▁ion ic ▁liqu ids . ▁ ▁P ong am ia ▁ ▁M ille tt ia ▁p inn ata , ▁also ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁P ong am ▁O ilt ree ▁or ▁P ong am ia , ▁is ▁a ▁leg umin ous , ▁oil seed - b ear ing ▁tree ▁that ▁has ▁been ▁identified ▁as ▁a ▁candidate