algae tagged posts

The need to transition away from fossil fuels to more sustainable energy production is critical. That’s why a team of Concordia researchers is looking at a potential power source that not only produces no carbon emissions but removes carbon as it works: algae.

Researchers at the Optical-Bio Microsystems Lab recently published a new paper on this topic in the journal Energies. In it, they describe their method of extracting energy from the photosynthesis process of algae suspended in a specialized solution and housed in small power cells. Configured correctly, these cells can generate enough energy to power low- and ultra-low power devices such as Internet of Things (IoT) sensors.

“The idea of the micro photosynthetic power cell is to extract e...

Astronauts could someday benefit from recycling human waste on long space trips using a yeast and  a carbon fixing cyanobacteria or algae
Credit: American Chemical Society

Imagine you’re on your way to Mars, and you lose a crucial tool during a spacewalk. Not to worry, you’ll simply re-enter your spacecraft and use some microorganisms to convert your urine and exhaled CO2 into chemicals to make a new one. That’s one of the ultimate goals of scientists who are developing ways to make long space trips feasible. Astronauts can’t take a lot of spare parts into space because every extra ounce adds to the cost of fuel needed to escape Earth’s gravity...