Scientists may be on the verge of taking a big step closer to the net-zero carbon emissions goal, thanks to University of Houston research into algae. Hidden potential is being revealed in the major algae studies at the microbial products lab, located at UH at Sugar Land.
The research project is detailed in a newly published article in Green Chemistry, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Venkatesh Balan, associate professor of engineering technology in UH’s Cullen College of Engineering’s Division of Technology, is exploring surprising traits among small fresh- and salt-water phototropic (light-sensitive) organisms referred to as microalgae.
Microalgae can sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. But it is its ability, through a series of processes, to convert its captured CO2 into mass-produced proteins, lipids and carbohydrates that most interests Balan and his team of researchers.
Read more at University of Houston
Image: Venkatesh Balan holds a flask of cyanobacteria. Its bright green color is a sign of its ability to convert sunlight into energy. But more intriguing for Balan and his team of researchers is cyanobacteria’s untapped power to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. (Credit: University of Houston)