UA algae research fuels oil possibility

Victoria Pelham Cronkite News Service | Posted: Monday, November 7, 2011 12:00 am

Each morning at the UA’s Agriculture Experiment Station, pumps push water into shallow basins where the sun can better warm algae growing in it. Each night, the water returns to a canal where the limited surface area helps retain heat.

The production system is intended to maintain the right temperatures for cultivating algae containing oil used to produce biofuels.

This is an example of universities helping make algae a commercially viable crop for Arizona, said Randy Ryan, a University of Arizona researcher who developed the process with a partner.

“We’re kind of at this crux of technology,” said Ryan, assistant director of the Agriculture Experiment Station. “There’s a lot of invention, innovation, ingenuity that’s going into how to produce more algae that contains enough oil to make it economically viable, and we’re right in the middle of it.”

Sci Channel zooms in on ceramics company

Phil Villarreal Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, November 4, 2011 12:00 am

A four-person crew from the Science Channel show “How It’s Made” hit town Thursday to film an episode.

The production crew spent 10 hours at HF Coors, 1600 S. Cherrybell Stravenue, to film the making of kiln-fired dinnerware at the factory.

An episode based on Thursday’s filming, scheduled to air early next year, will feature a segment based on the plant, explaining the tools used and how the dinnerware is created.

HF Coors, which fires its products in a 200-foot tunnel kiln, is one of only a few ceramics manufacturers still operating in the country. Most such products are made in Asia.

The show’s filming means “the world” to the company, said HF Coors vice president of marketing Mike Vialpando.