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Algae That Cleans Emissions and Produces Fuel

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the nature-already-efficient-enough-for-production dept.

**$tarDu$t** writes "Isaac Berzin, a rocket scientist at MIT has come up with an idea for using algae to clean up power-plant exhaust. His research began 3 years ago in an experiment for growing algae on the International Space Station. His idea consists of building algae farms near power plants to provide a means to reduce CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions. Emissions are filtered through the algae. Then the CO2 saturated algae is harvested and squeezed to produce a combustible vegetable oil (biodiesel) and a dried green substance that can be further processed into ethanol."

4 of 275 comments (clear)

  1. Better Strains and Algae Zeppelins? by eldavojohn · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't have a biology degree but it seems to me that there might be faster ways of creating strains more efficient at harvesting/reducing CO2. I have seen lectures given where Alzheimer's susceptible genes were spliced into the genes of mice neurons using a strain of the herpes virus that had previously infected neurons of Alzheimer's patients.

    Does anyone know if there are techniques like this to use to directly alter the genes of other organisms (like algae) using perhaps similar tricks?

    Furthermore, what if this could be used for gases other than nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide?

    Is there maybe a possibility of coating hot air balloons or zeppelins with this algae and letting them float about in the atmosphere until they become so heavy with algae they descend? I know it's kind of farfetched to propose that but stranger things that once were science fiction have become useful. The article seems to make it sound like just having the algae exposed to the air near a plant.

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    My work here is dung.
  2. Algae by mysqlrocks · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Can't algae itself get out of control and cause environmental problems?
    http://www.google.com/search?q=algae+blooms

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    Bradley Holt
  3. More CO2 scrubbing/sequestering by greg_barton · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Check out this dangerous idea

  4. Re:How does this really help? by jcorno · · Score: 3, Interesting

    But what about the other emissions? Coal plants put out a lot of arsenic and radioisotopes, among other things. Releasing it from smoke stacks is bad enough. When it's coming out of exaust pipes on busy streets, we're gonna have some problems.