Reviewer Comments - EERE

2011 Algae Platform Review – Reviewer Comments
Reviewer Comments are direct transcripts of commentary and material provided by the Platform’s
Review Panel. They have not been edited or altered by the Biomass Program.
environment) has its own set of needs. We will develop analytical measuring tools such as MS, NMR,
LC, DNA extraction techniques, Q-PCR, etc. to quantify these risks. Mitigation is very dependent on the
threat. It is important to understand that in chemistry structure and function are intimately associated. One
typically cannot mitigate toxicity until the compound responsible is characterized, detectible, and capable
of being monitored. These are the products we are pursuing.
3. Project Relevance
The project both identifies with and contributes to meeting the platform goals and objectives of the
Biomass Program Multi-Year Program Plan
The project has considered applications of the expected outputs
Reviewer Comments
Reviewer: 1 Criteria Score: 4
The relevance is quite High. I believe it could be linked in somewhat better fashion to the experimental
approaches and experimental outcomes.
Reviewer: 2 Criteria Score: 3
The potential for "rogue" facilities to develop the types of problems framed in the report is high, but this
seems less so for the funded DoE projects. More importantly, other DoE projects presenting at this
meeting had excellent command of pathogenic problems and were developing appropriate technology to
detect them. It is important to be aware of the large literature, facilities, and resources available on
harmful algae and the excellent and long-standing analytical techniques for their detection.
Reviewer: 3 Criteria Score: 4
Address questions of potential risk early rather than late; provide data for future risk assessment. This
project supports the goals of the Algae Platform and OBP Program by: Addressing the social
sustainability of algae biofuel production Understanding the potential negative human health impacts of
algae biofuel production—from biomass production through harvesting
Reviewer: 4 Criteria Score: 3
It's important to look ahead to potential problems, but the state of algae biofuels development is so
preliminary at this point, not much detail is warranted on human health effects. The inorganic water
contaminants issues (eg, metals) would be good to assess in order to provide constraints to the current
resource assessment projects. Potential use of pesticides/herbicides, as promoted by some groups, would
be another topic to investigate to provide them with guidelines.
The table listing pathogens and toxin producers is very excessive. Hopefully, this is showing a list of
organisms standard to the the method (standard primers). Making special effort for most of the organisms
listed (Slide 6) would be wasted effort because they would be no more likely to appear in algae ponds
than other water bodies.
This project should be a risk assessment desk study. Follow-up lab/field studies would expand knowledge
in the areas with the most risk.
Reviewer: 5 Criteria Score: 3
Risk assessments are certainly relevant to overall program goals. However, it is unclear whether the
results of this project will substantially contribute to the knowledge base.
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