Microalgal biofuels; carbon capture and sequestration
There is growing recognition that microalgae are among the most productive biological systems for generating biomass and capturing carbon. Further efficiencies are gained by harvesting 100% of the biomass, much more than is possible in terrestrial biomass production systems. Micro-algae's ability to transport bicarbonate into cells makes them well suited to capture carbon. Carbon dioxide—or bicarbonate-capturing efficiencies as high as 90% have been reported in open ponds. The scale of microalgal production facilities necessary to capture carbon-dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions from stationary point sources such as power stations and cement kilns is also manageable; thus, microalgae can potentially be exploited for CO{sub 2} capture and sequestration. In this article, I discuss possible strategies using microalgae to sequester CO{sub 2} with reduced environmental consequences.
- Research Organization:
- Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Advanced Biofuel Systems (CABS)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0001295
- OSTI ID:
- 1065071
- Journal Information:
- Bioscience, Vol. 60, Issue 9; Related Information: CABS partners with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (lead); Michigan State University; New Mexico Consortium; University of Nebraska; University of Missouri – St. Louis; Washington State University
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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