Over the past century, technology has advanced to becoming not only economical, but environmentally friendly as well. Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are claiming that they have successfully perfected the art of turning algae-solution into crude oil by applying heat and pressure for about 30 minutes. The process, called hydrothermal liquefaction, also works on other types of organic matter such as municipal sewage.

It only made sense that scientists would figure out how to turn algae to crude oil as most oil used today was formed by sea-borne flora that accumulated at the bottom of the ocean for millions of years, got compacted and heated over eons and transformed into petroleum. The lightweight and low in sulphur crude oil is synthesised by forming a solution of algae and water. The ideal solution is 20% algae by weight. They then send it down a long tube  for about 30 minutes at 660 degrees Fahrenheit and 3000 psi all the while being stirred. Not all organic matter gets turned into oil. Some byproducts include: carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen. These byproducts are, in turn, transformed into synthetic natural gas and burned to generate heat and electricity. Water rich in plant nutrients (such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus) are sold back to algae ponds as fertiliser.

A big criticism about the synthesis of crude oil is that it appears to give a negative net energy balance where the cultivating eats more energy than is contained in the algae.

One possible solution could be by making large quantities of algae at a cheap rate. Because then the rest of the synthesis could support itself, this excluding the energy used to grow algae because the hydrothermal extraction process at PNNL creates 9 unites of energy for every unit used.