Researchers pursue green technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/980926
Researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology have been awarded a three-year, $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to understand how microalgae can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. “Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our society today and IMET is thrilled to be contributing to solutions to carbon dioxide emissions through our microalgal research program,” said Russell Hill, director of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, and innovative ways to reduce emissions are urgently needed to curb the trajectory of warming on the planet. With partners in academia and industry, scientists are developing a technology that uses algae to capture the greenhouse gas emitted from powerplants, wastewater treatment plants, and cement factories before it can enter the atmosphere. The outcome will be a scalable and deployable system in which the algae sequester carbon from flue gases and then can be harvested for sale as nutraceuticals, animal feed, and biofuels. “Our technology offers the opportunity to install a cost-effective green technology that captures carbon dioxide from flue gases while generating valuable bioproducts,” said Yantao Li. “Its modular and scalable design allows a small installation to grow into a major carbon dioxide mitigation system with its expansion paid for by the technology itself.”