Flow cytometers are essential pieces of equipment for biodiesel researchers. The devices measure and analyze the chemical properties of cells, including microalgae. To do this, diluted samples are mixed with a fluorescent pigment and then moved past a laser beam that visually stimulates the pigments so that they begin to glow. Green light indicates that the sample contains lipids, while red light shows the presence of chlorophyll a, which photosynthesis can still turn into lipids. The brighter the colors are, the higher the fuel potential of the microalgae’s cells.

Merck Millipore has developed the “Guava” flow cytometer in order to make the technology available to smaller labs as well. Since the devices are small enough to fit on a table, they can be set up directly at the user’s workplace to make algae analyses fast and flexible.

But it will still take several years before algae diesel can be mass produced. “Microalgae are considered one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuels,” wrote René H. Wijffels, a professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, in an article that appeared in Science magazine (August 13, 2010). “Although microalgae are not yet produced at large scale for bulk applications, recent advances — particularly in the methods of systems biology, genetic engineering, and biorefining — present opportunities to develop this process in a sustainable and economical way within the next 10 to 15 years.”