The Hatcher group is currently investigating methods for commercial biofuel production from algae. A viable biofuel can be made from algae using a process known as hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). HTL subjects wet biomass to subcritical temperatures and high pressures to induce cracking and thus the formation of hydrocarbons. An issue with using algae as a feedstock is the high content of proteins and carbohydrates that will contribute to a biofuel rich in nitrogen and oxygen. High N and O content in a fuel will result in undesirable NOx gases that are harmful to the environment and reduce fuel efficiencies. A strategy to reduce the heteroatom content of an oil produced using HTL is to first treat the algae at a lower temperature to degrade/solubilize the proteins and carbohydrates prior to the oil formation step. This thermal pretreatment also concentrates the energy rich biopolymer algaenan that is present in certain lacustrine algal species. The presence of algaenan adds to the aliphatic content of the algae, and when subjected to HTL conditions will produce a biofuel of higher quality than HTL treatment of algae that does not contain algaenan.