LOS ANGELES, March 23 (UPI) -- A California company promoting algae as a renewable source of oil to compete with petroleum has announced a process to protect it against microscopic predators.

OriginOil, Inc. said the process it dubbed Algae Screen uses an electromagnetic pulse instead of chemicals to keep the algae healthy and productive, a company release reported Tuesday.


"All algae are targets for invasion. Oil-rich algae are particularly attractive to rotifers and other microscopic predators," OriginOil's Paul Reep said. "Algae Screen will protect an algae culture continuously from microscopic invaders such as rotifers, bacteria, and ciliates."

Such invaders reduce the value of the algae crop by metabolizing valuable oil and biomass, the company said, and invasions can choke off algae growth and reduce the percentage of daily harvest.

The problem exists in all types of growth systems, but most acutely in open ponds, the company said.

The process targets invaders with calibrated pulses of low-power electromagnetic energy that leave the algae safe. The power levels are adjustable for different algae types and environmental conditions such as water hardness and salinity, company officials said.