Montana State University received multiple large grants totaling $6.4 million for a trio of research projects focused on developing algae for biomaterials production.

The projects, funded from both the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, aim to study the relationship between algae and bacteria, increase the efficiency of algae production and eventually develop different foams from algae oil.

The research could improve the efficiency of growing and collecting algae’s natural oils, which can be used to create bioplastics, vehicle fuels and pharmaceuticals, said Robin Gerlach professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.