dailytechnologynews: Brilliant Planet plans cheap, gigaton-scale carbon capture using algae

dailytechnologynews:

Brilliant Planet plans cheap, gigaton-scale carbon capture using algae https://ift.tt/6uHQRmy

The company’s process works roughly like this: a location is chosen, on flat desert land near a coast, while a team of bio-prospectors starts filtering through samples of thousands of local strains of algae, selecting the ones that best fit the company’s criteria. Thus, there are no introduced species, and the algae is already well adapted to the local climate and conditions.

Next, the company sets up a series of pumps, with which to bring seawater into a series of containers and ponds. The intakes are positioned some 2 to 3 km (1.4 to 1.9 miles) from the shore, to grab “upwelling” water – cold, nutrient-rich water from the bottom of the sea that’s drawn up to the surface near coastlines by wind blowing over the surface. These seawater pumps account for most of the energy this system requires, and Brilliant Planet says they can easily be powered by on-site solar panels.

The water flows through a series of exponentially-growing enclosures. A single beaker of “inoculant” algae at the first step quickly multiplies under the right conditions, to fill four 12,000-square-meter (130,000-sq-ft) ponds. The company says it’s able to create and maintain these optimal conditions, monitoring the setup using its own sensor technology, daily satellite imagery, public weather information and proprietary software based around simulating cellular-level biology and upwelling ocean currents. From there, it can keep the algae blooming using low-cost, abundant additives, and AI-enhanced oversight of the operation will work to improve yield.

Once mature, the algae is harvested out of the largest ponds using fine mesh filters. It’s dried in the open desert air, and then this dried, salty, carbon-rich biomass is sent to a shallow desert grave, some 1 to 4 m (3 to 13 ft) under the surface, where it remains effectively sequestered for thousands of years in its arid new home. Meanwhile, the seawater is sent back to the ocean. It has been stripped of nutrients, but also of acidity.

One, you are on the coast just throw up some wind turbines. Unless there’s issues with putting turbines on coastal desert I don’t know about. You can even use the mechanical energy of a simple wind turbine to run the water pump directly.

Two, someone finally points out that you can put carbon right back underground where we first dragged it up from. Thank you.

For real though, this is Good News