THE CARBON-EATERS

Scaling algae for carbon capture and biofuels

- Damien Martin

When algae take over a waterway, the results can be disastrous. The bloom can suffocate other plant and animal life, causing a dead zone. During the day, while they can undergo photosynthesis, algae give off oxygen. But at night, they consume it. Overgrowth can suck up all the oxygen. It’s too much of a good thing. What else algae can suck up, though, is carbon dioxide. When harnessed for carbon capture, algae could become a force in combatting climate change.

SEQUESTRATION

Like other plants, algae take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. In fact, really all that’s required for algae to thrive are CO2, light, and water. AI company Hypergiant has designed the EOS bioreactor to be a self-contained carbon capture machine. By controlling water flow and light exposure, AI regulates the algae growth so it doesn’t spill out of the container, which doesn’t need constant supervision. Operating at peak efficiency, the EOS bioreactor can take as much CO2 out of the air as an acre of trees.

Users can harvest the algae for use in fertilizer, animal feed, and even human dietary supplements. Hypergiant’s plan is to bring to market a bioreactor that users can assemble themselves, with all the units sharing information with each other to improve efficiency.

At the Technical University of Munich’s Algae Cultivation Center, chemists have devised an efficient way of producing carbon fibers from CO2 capture by algae. The lightweight, high-strength fibers can serve as a substitute for structural steel in construction. At the end of their use, the fibers can slide into empty coal seams, keeping them out of the atmosphere.