On March 2, 2021, the University of Southern California (USC) Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on Santa Catalina Island announced a new aquaculture technique that increases dramatically kelp growth and, consequently, yields four times more biomass than other natural processes. Using a “kelp elevator,” this new technique optimizes growth for bronze-colored floating algae by raising and lowering it to different depths. These findings suggest that the use of open ocean to grow kelp biomass for biofuel production can serve as a solution to the generation of biofuels from feedstocks such as corn and soybeans, which often increase water pollution. Corresponding author of the study, Diane Y. Kim, Ph.D., stated that “[f]orging new pathways to make biofuel requires proving that new methods and feedstocks work. This experiment on the Southern California coast is an important step because it demonstrates kelp can be managed to maximize growth.”

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