Algae Carbon Storage Methods

The Algae has done the legwork and captured tons of carbon dioxide, now how do we keep it from escaping into the atmosphere?

Introduction

Algae have been proven to be an excellent natural source of carbon capture. Capable of absorbing 50% more carbon dioxide than trees and many other terrestrial plants, as well as providing the vast majority of Earth’s oxygen supply. These tiny micro-organisms acquire most of their carbon capture potency from their growth rate. An algae colony can almost double in 24 hours if they are grown within optimal growth conditions. Since algae are plants, they use CO2 as a source of sugars when photosynthesizing (absorbing sunlight). Fast growth rates combined with CO2 as a primary source of food means algae are natural air cleaners and there have been many innovations over the years to expand algae growth and utilize it as a source of carbon capture. An even greater benefit of using algae as a source of carbon capture is its many secondary use cases. Micro-algae such as Chlorella and Spirulina make excellent nutritional supplements, fertilizer for plants, can be used as a powerful ingredient in health and beauty products, and its oils can be used to produce plastics and biofuels.

All of these use cases will have varying levels of carbon capture, and of course how the algae is grown will also impact the total level of…