Algae used in biofuel study

Roman Baths in a Somerset town are being used to aid research into biofuel production.

Researchers at the University of Bath are using algae found at the Roman Baths to create a biodiesel on a commercially viable scale.

The biodiesel can be produced by extracting oil from algae cells, with different types offering different oil contents.

Researchers and students from the university are hopeful to create a biofuel from one of the seven types of algae found at the Roman Baths, with studies limited in the past by the ability to produce algae on a large scale.

PhD student Holly Smith-Baedorf, who is working on the project, explained that algae thrive in temperatures over 25 degrees C, however, these areas are generally earmarked for food production.

"In an ideal world we would like to grow algae in desert areas where there are huge expanses of land that don't have other uses, but the temperatures in these zones are too high for algae to flourish," she said.

The Great Bath, which is part of the study, once stood in a large barrel-vaulted hall with ceiling heights of around 40 metres.