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Growing protein-rich microalgae on industrial exhaust

Scientists would like to use protein-rich microalgae as a sustainable replacement for soy in animal feed. While studying if this is feasible, a team found that microalgae can grow at carbon dioxide levels found in exhaust from coal-fired power plants, oil refineries, and other industrial sources (ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2019, DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b00656). Earlier studies reported that the high CO2 concentrations in industrial emissions would inhibit microalgae growth by making conditions too acidic. Jerald L. Schnoor of the University of Iowa and colleagues grew Scenedesmus obliquus, a highly nutritious and fast-growing species of microalgae, in bioreactors that enabled precise adjustment of pH levels. The researchers grew the microalgae at various CO2 concentrations, ranging from atmospheric levels to the high levels found in industrial emissions, and calculated the microalgae’s maximum growth rate at each concentration. S. obliquus didn’t show inhibited growth until 10% CO2—higher than the lev...