Pond scum could clean water and fuel cars, if costs drop
McKinley K, Ozbay G
Phytoremediation
The green film you might skim off a backyard pond or aquarium is the same group of organisms researchers are engineering to pull carbon from the air and clean up polluted water, so what looks like nuisance algae could become a genuine environmental tool.
Microalgae are microscopic algae that grow in water and pack in useful stuff like protein, healthy fats, and colorful pigments. Scientists are getting better at tweaking their genes to grow more of these useful compounds, and at using the algae themselves to soak up pollution and carbon dioxide while producing food or fuel as a bonus. The catch is that growing algae at large scale still costs too much and works differently for every species, so most of these ideas haven't left the lab yet.
Key Findings
Microalgal biomass (proteins, lipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, pigments, polysaccharides) underpins uses in food, animal feed, biofuels, and bioremediation.
Wastewater treatment and carbon capture systems can be paired with algae growth to recover nutrients and valorize the resulting biomass.
Genetic engineering and multi-omics tools are improving strains, but species-specific transformability, high production costs, and downstream processing remain major bottlenecks to commercialization.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Microalgae, tiny water-dwelling organisms, are being engineered into powerhouses for food, fuel, and cleanup jobs like scrubbing carbon and wastewater, but scaling them up affordably remains the big hurdle.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
The power of microalgae: Cutting-edge applications and groundbreaking innovations.
Microalgae are increasingly recognized as versatile biological platforms capable of supporting sustainable food, energy, environmental, and industrial systems. This review critically evaluates rece...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Microalgae or microphytes are microscopic algae invisible to the naked eye. They are phytoplankton typically found in freshwater and marine systems, living in both the water column and sediment. They are unicellular species which exist individually, or in chains or groups. Depending on the specie...