0:00:01.051,0:00:04.014 What I'm going to do is, I'm going to explain to you 0:00:04.014,0:00:06.066 an extreme green concept 0:00:06.066,0:00:09.059 that was developed at NASA's Glenn Research Center 0:00:09.059,0:00:11.060 in Cleveland, Ohio. 0:00:11.060,0:00:13.080 But before I do that, we have to go over 0:00:13.080,0:00:15.027 the definition of what green is, 0:00:15.027,0:00:18.024 cos a lot of us have a different definition of it. 0:00:18.024,0:00:20.017 Green. The product is created through 0:00:20.017,0:00:22.080 environmentally and socially conscious means. 0:00:22.080,0:00:25.058 There's plenty of things that are being called green now. 0:00:25.058,0:00:27.090 What does it actually mean? 0:00:27.090,0:00:30.923 We use three metrics to determine green. 0:00:30.923,0:00:34.015 The first metric is: is it Sustainable? 0:00:34.015,0:00:37.259 Which means: Are you preserving what you are doing for future use 0:00:37.259,0:00:40.034 or for future generations? 0:00:40.034,0:00:44.007 Is it alternative? Is it different than what is being used today, 0:00:44.007,0:00:46.812 or does it have a lower carbon footprint 0:00:46.812,0:00:49.396 than what's used conventionally? 0:00:49.396,0:00:52.231 And three: Is it renewable? 0:00:52.231,0:00:55.987 Does it come from Earth's natural replenishing resources, 0:00:55.987,0:00:59.087 such as Sun, wind and water? 0:00:59.087,0:01:02.619 Now my task at NASA is to develop 0:01:02.619,0:01:06.216 the next generation of aviation fuels. 0:01:06.216,0:01:08.644 Extreme green. Why aviation? 0:01:08.644,0:01:12.001 The field of aviation uses more fuel than just about 0:01:12.001,0:01:17.017 every other combined. We need to find an alternative. 0:01:17.017,0:01:20.017 Also it's a natural aeronautics directive. 0:01:20.017,0:01:22.685 One of the national aeronautics goals is to develop 0:01:22.685,0:01:25.091 the next generation of fuels, bio fuels, using 0:01:25.091,0:01:29.091 domestic and safe, friendly, resources. 0:01:29.091,0:01:31.959 Now combating that challenge 0:01:31.959,0:01:34.849 we have to also meet the big three metric -- 0:01:34.849,0:01:38.662 actually, this is an extreme green, for us is all three together 0:01:38.662,0:01:41.052 that's why you see the plus there I was told to say that. 0:01:41.052,0:01:46.049 All right! So, it has to be the BIG 3 at GRC, that's another metric. 0:01:46.049,0:01:52.000 97% of the world's water is saltwater. 0:01:52.000,0:01:56.010 How about we use that. Combine that with number 3. 0:01:56.010,0:01:59.042 Do not use arable land. 0:01:59.042,0:02:01.052 Because crops are already growing on that land 0:02:01.052,0:02:04.019 that's very scarce around the world. 0:02:04.019,0:02:07.026 Number two: Don't compete with food crops. 0:02:07.026,0:02:11.073 That's already a well established entity, they don't need another entry. 0:02:11.073,0:02:15.071 And lastly the most precious resource we have on this Earth 0:02:15.071,0:02:20.051 is fresh water. Don't use fresh water. 0:02:20.051,0:02:23.022 If 97.5% of the world's water is salt water 0:02:23.022,0:02:26.049 2.5% is fresh water. Less than a half percent 0:02:26.049,0:02:28.060 of that is accessible for human use. 0:02:28.060,0:02:32.021 But 60% of the population lives within that one percent. 0:02:32.021,0:02:37.013 So, combating my problem was, now I have to be extreme green 0:02:37.013,0:02:39.061 and meet the big three. Ladies and gentlemen, 0:02:39.061,0:02:43.007 welcome to the GreenLab Research Facility. 0:02:43.007,0:02:45.432 This is a facility dedicated to the next generation 0:02:45.432,0:02:49.087 of aviation fuels using halophytes. 0:02:49.087,0:02:52.065 A halophyte is a salt tolerating plant. 0:02:52.065,0:02:56.093 Most plants don't like salt, but halophytes tolerate salt. 0:02:56.093,0:02:59.088 We are also are using weeds 0:02:59.088,0:03:02.019 and we are also using algae. 0:03:02.019,0:03:04.010 The good thing about our lab is, we've had 0:03:04.010,0:03:07.020 thirty six hundred visitors in the last two years. 0:03:07.020,0:03:09.022 Why do you think that's so? 0:03:09.022,0:03:13.028 Because we are on to something special. 0:03:13.028,0:03:15.077 So, in the lower you see the GreenLab obviously 0:03:15.077,0:03:18.049 in our right hand side you see algae. 0:03:18.049,0:03:21.002 If you are into the business of the next generation 0:03:21.002,0:03:23.052 aviation fuels, algae is a viable option, 0:03:23.052,0:03:25.001 there's a lot of funding right now 0:03:25.001,0:03:27.022 and we have an algae to fuels program. 0:03:27.022,0:03:29.022 There's two types of algae growing. 0:03:29.022,0:03:32.015 One is a closed photobioreactor that you see here, 0:03:32.015,0:03:36.036 and what you see on the other side is our species 0:03:36.036,0:03:40.006 we are currently using a species called Scenedesmus diamorphis. 0:03:40.006,0:03:44.312 Our job at NASA is to take the experimental and computational 0:03:44.312,0:03:49.007 and make a better mixing for the closed photobioreactors. 0:03:49.007,0:03:51.044 Now the problems of closed photobioreactors are: 0:03:51.044,0:03:53.775 they are quite expensive, they are automated 0:03:53.775,0:03:56.803 and it's very difficult to get them in large scale. 0:03:56.803,0:03:58.428 So on large scale what do we use? 0:03:58.428,0:04:01.921 We use open pond systems. Now, around the world 0:04:01.921,0:04:05.442 they are growing algae, with this racetrack designs 0:04:05.442,0:04:07.891 that you see here. Looks like an oval with a 0:04:07.891,0:04:10.028 paddle wheel and mixes really well but 0:04:10.028,0:04:14.086 when it gets around the last turn, which I call turn four -- it's stagnant. 0:04:14.086,0:04:16.076 We actually have a solution for that 0:04:16.076,0:04:19.040 in the GreenLab open pond system 0:04:19.040,0:04:22.055 we use something that happens in nature: waves. 0:04:22.055,0:04:25.087 We actually use wave technology on our open pond systems 0:04:25.087,0:04:30.091 we have 95% mixing and our lipid content is higher 0:04:30.091,0:04:33.049 than our closed photobioreactor system 0:04:33.049,0:04:35.030 which we think is significant. 0:04:35.030,0:04:39.062 There's a drawback to algae, however: it's very expensive. 0:04:39.062,0:04:42.375 Is there a way to produce algae 0:04:42.375,0:04:46.026 inexpensively? And the answer is: yes. 0:04:46.026,0:04:49.049 We do the same thing we do with halophytes 0:04:49.049,0:04:53.004 and that is: climatic adaptation. 0:04:53.004,0:04:55.816 In our GreenLab we have six primary ecosystems 0:04:55.816,0:04:59.787 that range from freshwater all the way to saltwater. 0:04:59.787,0:05:03.546 What we do: we take a potential species, we start at freshwater 0:05:03.546,0:05:06.054 we add a little bit more salt, when the second tank here 0:05:06.054,0:05:08.086 will be the same ecosystem as Brazil 0:05:08.087,0:05:12.012 -- right next to the sugar cane fields you can have our plants -- 0:05:12.012,0:05:15.745 the next tank represents Africa, the next tank represents Arizona, 0:05:15.745,0:05:18.196 the next tank represents Florida, 0:05:18.196,0:05:22.259 and the next tank represents California, or the open ocean. 0:05:22.259,0:05:26.014 What we are trying to do is to come up with a single species 0:05:26.014,0:05:32.019 that can survive anywhere in the world, where there's barren desert. 0:05:32.019,0:05:34.057 We are being very successful so far. 0:05:34.057,0:05:37.081 Now, here's one of the problems. If you are a farmer 0:05:37.081,0:05:42.428 you need five things to be successful: you need seeds 0:05:42.428,0:05:46.043 you need soil, you need water, and you need sun, 0:05:46.043,0:05:49.613 and the last thing that you need is fertilizer. 0:05:49.613,0:05:53.028 Most people use chemical fertilizers. But guess what 0:05:53.028,0:05:56.818 we do not use chemical fertilizer. Wait a second! 0:05:56.818,0:06:01.023 I just saw lots of green in your green lab. You have to use fertilizer. 0:06:01.023,0:06:05.068 Believe it or not, in our analysis of our saltwater ecosystems 0:06:05.068,0:06:09.028 80% of what we need are in these tanks themselves. 0:06:09.028,0:06:13.027 The 20% that's missing is nitrogen and phosphorous. 0:06:13.027,0:06:15.083 We have a natural solution: fish. 0:06:15.083,0:06:18.971 No we don't cut up the fish and put them in there. (Laughter) 0:06:18.971,0:06:22.854 Fish waste is what we use. As a matter of fact 0:06:22.854,0:06:27.019 we use freshwater mollies, that we've used our climatic adaptation technique 0:06:27.019,0:06:30.041 from freshwater all the way to seawater. 0:06:30.041,0:06:37.037 Freshwater mollies: cheap, they love to make babies, 0:06:37.037,0:06:38.846 and they love to go to the bathroom. 0:06:38.846,0:06:41.001 And the more they go to the bathroom, the more fertilizer we get, 0:06:41.001,0:06:43.540 the better off we are, believe it or not. 0:06:43.540,0:06:48.805 It should be noted that we use sand as our soil, 0:06:48.805,0:06:53.030 regular beach sand. Fossilized krill. 0:06:53.030,0:06:57.001 All right. So, a lot of people ask me, How did you get started? 0:06:57.001,0:07:02.006 Well, we got started in what we call indoor bio fuels lab. 0:07:02.006,0:07:06.401 It's a seedling lab. We have 26 different species of halophytes 0:07:06.412,0:07:09.684 and five are winners. What we do here is -- 0:07:09.684,0:07:12.509 actually it should be called a death lab, 'cos we try to 0:07:12.509,0:07:15.098 kill the seedlings, make them rough -- 0:07:15.098,0:07:17.418 and then we come to the green lab. 0:07:17.418,0:07:19.966 What you see in the lower corner 0:07:19.966,0:07:22.134 is a waste photo treatment plant experiment 0:07:22.134,0:07:25.057 that we are growing, a macro algae that I'll talk about in a minute. 0:07:25.057,0:07:29.043 And lastly it's me actually working in the lab to prove that I do work, 0:07:29.043,0:07:32.775 I don't just talk about what I do. (Laughter) 0:07:32.775,0:07:36.005 All right. Here's the plant species. Salicornia virginica. 0:07:36.005,0:07:39.564 It's a wonderful plant. I love that plant. 0:07:39.564,0:07:43.030 Everywhere we go we see it. It's all over the place from Maine 0:07:43.030,0:07:46.041 all the way to California. We love that plant. 0:07:46.041,0:07:51.006 Second is Salicornia bigelovi. Very difficult to get around the world. 0:07:51.006,0:07:53.052 It is the highest lipid content that we have, 0:07:53.052,0:07:57.042 but it has a short coming: it's short. 0:07:57.042,0:08:00.013 Now you take europaea, which is the largest 0:08:00.013,0:08:04.081 or the tallest plant that we have, and what we are trying to do 0:08:04.081,0:08:08.082 with natural selection or adaptive biology, combine all three 0:08:08.082,0:08:12.068 to make a higher growth high lipid plant. 0:08:12.068,0:08:18.882 Next -- when a hurricane decimated the Delaware Bay -- soy bean fields: gone. 0:08:18.882,0:08:22.706 We came up with an idea: can you have a plant 0:08:22.706,0:08:28.017 that has a land reclamation positive in Delaware, and the answer is yes. 0:08:28.017,0:08:31.991 It's called seashore mallow. Kosteletzkya virginica 0:08:31.991,0:08:35.009 -- say that five times if you can, fast. 0:08:35.009,0:08:42.067 This is a 100% usable plant. The seeds: bio fuels. The rest: cattle feed. 0:08:42.067,0:08:46.036 It's there for ten years, it's working very well. 0:08:46.036,0:08:49.363 Now we get to Chaetomorpha. 0:08:49.363,0:08:52.585 This is a macro-algae that loves 0:08:52.585,0:08:55.007 excess nutrients. If you are in the aquarium industry 0:08:55.007,0:08:57.818 you know we use it to clean up dirty tanks. 0:08:57.818,0:09:02.029 This species is so significant to us. 0:09:02.029,0:09:06.000 The properties are very close to plastic. 0:09:06.000,0:09:11.068 We are trying right now to convert this macro-algae into a bio-plastic. 0:09:11.068,0:09:16.051 If we are successful, we will revolutionize the plastics industry. 0:09:16.051,0:09:20.293 So, we have a seed to fuel program. We have to do something 0:09:20.293,0:09:22.530 with this biomass that we have. 0:09:22.530,0:09:27.039 And so we do GC extraction, lipid optimization, so on and so forth, 0:09:27.039,0:09:30.056 because our goal really is to come up with 0:09:30.056,0:09:35.026 the next generation of aviation fuels, aviation specifics, so on and so forth. 0:09:35.026,0:09:39.056 So, so far we talked about water and fuel, 0:09:39.056,0:09:46.000 but along the way we found out something interesting about Salicornia: 0:09:46.000,0:09:49.686 it's a food product. 0:09:49.686,0:09:52.869 So we talk about ideas worth spreading, right? 0:09:52.869,0:09:58.883 How about this: in Sub-Saharian Africa, next to the sea, saltwater, 0:09:58.883,0:10:04.212 barren desert, how about we take that plant, 0:10:04.212,0:10:09.044 plant it, have use for food, have use for fuel. 0:10:09.044,0:10:12.845 We can make that happen, inexpensively. 0:10:12.845,0:10:15.543 You can see there's a greenhouse in Germany 0:10:15.543,0:10:18.007 that sells it as a health food product. 0:10:18.007,0:10:23.033 This is harvested, and in the middle here is a shrimp dish, and it's been pickled 0:10:23.033,0:10:27.076 so I have to tell a joke. Salicornia is known as sea beans 0:10:27.076,0:10:31.079 saltwater asparagus, and pickle weed. 0:10:31.079,0:10:34.050 So we are pickling pickle weed, in the middle. 0:10:34.050,0:10:36.852 Oh I thought it was funny. (Laughter) 0:10:36.852,0:10:40.035 And at the bottom is seamanÂs mustard. It does make sense, 0:10:40.035,0:10:42.072 this is a logical snack. You have mustard, 0:10:42.072,0:10:45.010 you are a seaman, you see the halophyte, you mix it together 0:10:45.010,0:10:48.022 it's a great snack with some crackers. 0:10:48.022,0:10:55.022 All right. And last: garlic, with Salicornia, which is what I like. 0:10:55.022,0:11:00.677 So, water, fuel, and food. 0:11:00.677,0:11:04.218 None of this is possible without the GreenLab Team. 0:11:04.218,0:11:08.529 Just like the Miami Heat has the big three, we have the big three at NASA GRC. 0:11:08.529,0:11:14.008 That's myself, professor Bob Hendricks, who's our fearless leader, and doctor Arnon Chait. 0:11:14.008,0:11:18.537 The backbone of the GreenLab is students. 0:11:18.537,0:11:22.452 Over the last two years we had thirty five different students 0:11:22.452,0:11:25.607 from around the world working at GreenLab. 0:11:25.607,0:11:30.016 As a matter fact my division chief says a lot, "you have a green university", 0:11:30.016,0:11:32.051 I say, "I'm ok with that, 'cos we are nurturing 0:11:32.051,0:11:37.575 the next generation of extreme green thinkers, which is significant." 0:11:37.575,0:11:42.896 So, in first summary I presented to you what we think 0:11:42.896,0:11:49.023 is a global solution for food, fuel and water. 0:11:49.023,0:11:52.017 There's something missing to be complete. 0:11:52.017,0:11:56.078 Clearly we use electricity. We have a solution for you -- 0:11:56.078,0:12:00.057 we are using clean energy sources here. 0:12:00.057,0:12:04.088 So, we have two wind turbines connected to the GreenLab 0:12:04.088,0:12:08.005 we have four or five more hopefully coming soon. 0:12:08.005,0:12:11.315 We are also using something that is quite interesting -- 0:12:11.315,0:12:16.038 there is a solar array field at NASA's Glenn Research Center, 0:12:16.038,0:12:19.380 hasn't been used for fifteen years. 0:12:19.380,0:12:22.033 Along with some of my electrical engineering colleagues 0:12:22.033,0:12:24.076 we realized that they are still viable 0:12:24.076,0:12:27.042 so we are refurbishing them right now 0:12:27.042,0:12:32.078 in about thirty days or so they will be connected to the GreenLab. 0:12:32.078,0:12:35.004 And the reason why you see red, red and yellow, is 0:12:35.004,0:12:38.051 a lot of people think NASA employees don't work on Saturday -- 0:12:38.051,0:12:42.099 this is a picture taken on Saturday, there's no cars around but you see 0:12:42.099,0:12:45.814 my truck in yellow, I work on Saturday. (Laughter) 0:12:45.814,0:12:47.647 This is a proof to you that I'm working. 0:12:47.647,0:12:51.547 'Cos we do what it takes to get the job done, most people know that. 0:12:51.547,0:12:54.425 Here's a concept with this: 0:12:54.425,0:12:59.981 we are using the GreenLab for a micro-grid testbed 0:12:59.981,0:13:04.044 for the smart-grid concept in Ohio. 0:13:04.044,0:13:09.091 We have the ability to do that, and I think it's going to work. 0:13:10.799,0:13:15.044 So, GreenLab Research Facility. 0:13:15.044,0:13:20.067 A self sustainable renewable energy ecosystem was presented today. 0:13:20.067,0:13:26.014 We really, really hope this concept catches on, worldwide. 0:13:26.014,0:13:35.064 We think we have a solution, for food, water, fuel and now energy. Complete. 0:13:35.064,0:13:41.089 It's extreme green, it's sustainable, alternative, and renewable 0:13:41.089,0:13:45.027 and it meets the big three at GRC: 0:13:45.027,0:13:50.018 don't use arable land, don't compete with food crops, 0:13:50.018,0:13:53.080 and most of all, don't use fresh water. 0:13:53.080,0:13:58.054 So I get a lot of questions about what are you doing in that lab? 0:13:58.054,0:14:03.807 And I usually say, None of your business, that's what I'm doing in the lab. (Laughter) 0:14:03.807,0:14:07.350 And believe it or not, my number one goal, 0:14:07.350,0:14:10.060 for working on this project, is: 0:14:10.060,0:14:15.011 I want to help save the world. Thank you. 0:14:15.011,0:14:18.119 (Applause)