Skip to main content

New algae-based bioreactor can swallow carbon dioxide 400x faster than trees

Image used with permission by copyright holder

For good reason, plenty of people are worried about the quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) that are being pumped into the atmosphere. Since the early 1800s, scientists have known that greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap heat, causing the effect we now know as global warming. CO2 is a particularly big contributor to this problem. Created as a result of the burning of fuels like oil and natural gas, CO2 makes up the overwhelming majority of greenhouse gas emissions. It represents around 72% of the total, compared to 18% methane and 9% nitrous oxide.

The quantity of these emissions as a result of human activity has increased by more than 400% since 1950. While the effects of climate change are already seen worldwide, many experts contend that things will get worse as CO2 emissions continue to rise. Something needs to be done.

One way to slow this effect is something called biosequestration. This refers to the capture and storage of carbon dioxide using biological processes. This is an extension of photosynthesis, in which plants, such as trees, use energy from the sun to turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. Now an A.I. company from Austin, Texas, thinks that it’s come up with a way to make this process significantly more efficient — and it involves a combination of cutting-edge artificial intelligence and algae, the group of photosynthetic organisms you probably know best from making up the green, plant-like film which covers ponds and other bodies of water.

Algae is the answer

“We believe one of the biggest human challenges of our time is the current crisis with global warming,” Ben Lamm, CEO of Hypergiant Industries, told Digital Trends. “As such, we set out to figure out if trees were really the best solution or if there were other effective alternatives. It turns out that algae is actually much more effective than trees at reducing carbon in the atmosphere, and can be used to create carbon negative fuels, plastics, textiles, food, fertilizer and much more. [Our research led us to utilize] algae and A.I. to create the Eos Bioreactor, a prototype bioreactor that can substantially outperform trees by up to 400 times.”

Reducing carbon with algae at local power plan

Algae is one of nature’s most efficient machines for carbon dioxide consumption. Algae needs three key elements to grow: carbon dioxide, light, and water. As it consumes CO2, it produces biomass, which can then be processed to create materials which range from fuels, oils and fertilizers to plastics, cosmetics and even high-protein food sources. Algae can not only far exceed the efficiency of agricultural crops in terms of carbon sequestration, but it also doesn’t compete for the same arable land. That makes it a doubly good solution next to space-occupying forests.

“The device [we’ve created] is a controlled closed system model,” Lamm explained. “Every part of the growth process is tightly controlled and optimized with machine intelligence to maximize CO2 consumption. The A.I. monitors light, heat, growth, water speed, pH, CO2, oxygen output and more to ensure optimal growing conditions.”

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hypergiant isn’t the first time researchers have focused on algae as a potential game-changer for carbon sequestration. However, its new bioreactor promises not only aims to make these abilities smarter, courtesy of machine learning tech, but also to pack its solution into a disarmingly small form factor. The company’s bioreactor fits within a compact form factor measuring 3-foot by 3-foot by 7-foot. That’s small enough that it could fit within office buildings as part of a shift toward more sustainable smart city environments. The results could significantly increase the adoption of this technology.

Still early stages

Lamm stressed that this is still early stages for the project. The company has not yet announced where its solution will initially be deployed, although it has some big ambitions (think smart cities). For now, he says that he’s focused on showing that the technology can work as well as hyped. There are some big claims. But, as people often note about climate change, it’s a big problem — and that calls for big solutions. Already Hypergiant has attracted some major supporters, with the most public being vocal climate science supporter Bill Nye.

A Better World

“One Eos Bioreactor sequesters the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere as an entire acre of trees,” Lamm said. “We are a technology company that makes A.I. products and solutions — but we are human first and want to create products that improve the human condition. We feel responsible for developing solutions that can help businesses and people make a real difference in their communities.”

It remains to be seen whether this turns out to be the solution that people are hoping for. Certainly, it’s not the innovative attempt to suck carbon dioxide out of the air that Digital Trends has covered. But no-one is going to complain about there being too many people trying to solve this world-defining challenge.

For the sake of humanity, let’s hope that Hypergiant Industries — and the other groups working on similar technologies — are onto a winner.

Editors' Recommendations

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Don’t buy the Meta Quest Pro for gaming. It’s a metaverse headset first
Meta Quest Pro enables 3D modeling in mixed reality.

Last week’s Meta Connect started off promising on the gaming front. Viewers got release dates for Iron Man VR, an upcoming Quest game that was previously a PS VR exclusive, as well as Among Us VR. Meta, which owns Facebook, also announced that it was acquiring three major VR game studios -- Armature Studio, Camouflaj Team, and Twisted Pixel -- although we don’t know what they’re working on just yet.

Unfortunately, that’s where the Meta Connect's gaming section mostly ended. Besides tiny glimpses and a look into fitness, video games were not the show's focus. Instead, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wanted to focus on what seemed to be his company’s real vision of VR's future, which involves a lot of legs and a lot of work with the Quest Pro, a mixed reality headset that'll cost a whopping $1,500.

Read more
Meet the game-changing pitching robot that can perfectly mimic any human throw
baseball hitter swings and misses

Who’s your favorite baseball pitcher? Shane McClanahan? Sandy Alcantara? Justin Verlander? Whoever you said, two of the top sports-tech companies in the U.S. -- Rapsodo and Trajekt Sports -- have teamed up to build a robot version of them, and the results are reportedly uncannily accurate.

Okay, so we’re not talking about walking-talking-pitching standalone robots, as great a sci-fi-tinged MLB ad as that would be. However, Rapsodo and Trajekt have combined their considerable powers to throw a slew of different technologies at the problem of building a machine that's able to accurately simulate the pitching style of whichever player you want to practice batting against -- and they may just have pulled it off, too.

Read more
The best portable power stations
EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power options and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Read more