“These algae are rich in proteins, vitamins and other nutrients,” Varanasi says, noting they could produce far more nutritional output per unit of land used than some traditional agricultural crops. What’s more, the algae themselves can then be a useful product. Farmed algae can be turned into useful products These algae grow anywhere from 10 to 50 times more quickly than land-based plants, and they can be grown in ponds or tanks that take up only a tenth of the land footprint of terrestrial plants. “Marine algae account for about 50 percent of global carbon dioxide absorbed today on Earth,” Varanasi says. When people think of biological approaches to carbon dioxide reduction, the first thought is usually of planting or protecting trees, which are indeed a crucial “sink” for atmospheric carbon. IMAGE: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT Marine algae already account for 50% of global CO2 removal Reducing this fouling avoids costly cleanouts and allows more photosynthesis to happen within tanks. “There’s already a lot of carbon dioxide there, so we have to look at negative emissions technologies as well,” he says, referring to ways of removing the greenhouse gas from the air or oceans, or from their sources before they get released into the air in the first place.Ī new, inexpensive technology can limit the build-up of algae on the walls of photobioreactors that can help convert carbon dioxide into useful products. No matter how successful efforts to reduce or eliminate carbon emissions may be, there will still be excess greenhouse gases that will remain in the atmosphere for centuries to come, continuing to affect global climate, Varanasi points out. The findings are being reported in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, in a paper by recent MIT graduate Victor Leon, professor of mechanical engineering Kripa Varanasi, former postdoc Baptiste Blanc, and undergraduate student Sophia Sonnert. The system has worked well in lab-scale tests, and with further development might be applied to commercial production within a few years. The key is to coat the transparent containers with a material that can hold an electrostatic charge, and then applying a very small voltage to that layer. MIT researchers have come up with a simple and inexpensive technology that could substantially limit this fouling, potentially allowing for a much more efficient and economical way of converting the unwanted greenhouse gas into useful products. But the process leads to a build-up of algae on the surfaces that clouds them and reduces efficiency, requiring laborious cleanout procedures every couple of weeks. By David Chandler, MIT News.Īlgae grown in transparent tanks or tubes supplied with carbon dioxide can convert the greenhouse gas into other compounds, such as food supplements or fuels. Applying a small voltage to the walls of algae growing tanks can prevent cloudy build-up and allow more photosynthesis to happen. MIT engineers devise technology to prevent fouling in photobioreactors for CO2 capture. It could be a significant innovation as most major scenarios say “negative emissions” must become an essential part of decarbonisation for us to meet our net-zero targets. Further development is needed for scale-up but the timeframe could be as low as three years, say the researchers. What’s more, the algae can itself be turned into useful food and biofuel products, giving it an additional revenue stream that rapidly commercialises the process. New research shows how electrostatic repulsion is used to keep the algae off the surface. Until now, the problem has always been the build-up of the algae on the tank and tube surfaces, halving the output over time. Here, David Chandler at MIT explains how new research there can make farming algae much more efficient and easily scalable. It could be a game-changer that brings carbon capture costs down and make it a commercial reality. And algae can grow up to 50 times more quickly than land-based plants. Farming it at scale in artificial tanks or tubes would take up a fraction of the land footprint of terrestrial plants. Natural marine algae already account for 50% of global CO2 removal.
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