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