LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Algae may be the next frontier for biofuels, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is poised to be among the nation's leaders in this research.

Part of the greenhouse complex at UNL's Beadle Center will be revamped this year into an algal biofuels research facility.

UNL already has received almost $2 million in federal funding for the research. It's also in line for tens of millions more in funding for several related research angles, including one that would couple this new research with UNL's already robust corn-ethanol byproducts research.

Biochemistry researcher George Oyler says algae potentially could yield up to 6,000 gallons of oil per acre annually. That compares to 43 gallons for soybeans, 86 for sunflowers and 171 for canola.

Plant pathologist James Van Etten notes that much of the oil now being pumped from the ground likely originated with algae.