The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has hosted algae since it was built in the 1920s. A CleanTechnica report presents the growth as an unlikely showcase for algae Biofuel, noting that President Donald Trump delivered his closing message for the 2026 midterm election cycle there on November 2, 2026.
The pool sits on land filled over former marshes. Its algae growth continued even after a major renovation completed in 2012, which included a water-circulation system. The report says Trump has framed the pool as a way to draw attention to domestic biomass and biofuel, using existing infrastructure rather than farmland for energy crops. Satellite imagery reportedly showed algae thriving by summer 2026.
Commercial algae biofuel has yet to make major progress, despite interest in the technology’s potential for rapid growth and high oil content. CleanTechnica points to recent efforts including a project by UK startup HutanBio, which is working with Irish partners on a system planned for Oman. The company says its microalgae strain can be grown in seawater on non-arable coastal land using sunlight and CO₂. A demonstration-scale operation is expected before the end of 2027.
Japan’s Mazda is also researching microalgae biofuel, with support from the country’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization. The program remains at an early stage, and the report says scale-up is expected in the 2030s. Separately, researchers at Saitama University have developed a cyanobacteria strain that releases free fatty acids into its culture medium, potentially avoiding the need to destroy the algae during harvesting.
The article also recounts the stalled US effort by ExxonMobil, which ended its algae biofuel program after promoting it in an advertising campaign. Massachusetts’ attorney general sued the company in 2019, alleging that its advertising misled consumers and investors about climate-related issues. A scientist who worked on the program later testified that claims in the ads were “patently false,” according to the report.
Sources: CleanTechnica.