Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations continue to rise, with substantial negative impacts to the environment and societies across the globe. Beyond just reducing future emissions, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projections demonstrate that active CO2 removal technologies will be needed to maintain the climate within tolerable levels. 

With their fast growth and utilization of atmospheric/oceanic carbon dioxide, marine microalgae may offer multiple solutions to this grave societal challenge. This project built on a large Department of Energy-funded project called MAGIC (Marine Algae Industrialization Consortium), in which marine microalgae are being grown at commercially relevant scales toward the sustainable production of numerous bioproducts and durably sequestering carbon dioxide. 

This team characterized the variability of existing microbiomes in the context of different environmental conditions. Team members collected new data and analyzed specific microbial populations using Bayesian Generalized Joint Attribute Modeling.

Next, team members isolated microbes (bacteria) from open-pond data that have predicted “probiotic” properties and tested them at the laboratory scale to determine the impact of these interactions on growth and yield. From this screening, team members selected one or more bacteria for a similar outdoor trial.

Ultimately, samples from both laboratory and open pond trials will be analyzed to uncover the mechanisms of positive interactions. 

Timing

Summer 2023 – Spring 2024

Team Outputs

Carbon Source Impacts Algal Growth and Shapes Microbiomes in Outdoor Ponds (Poster presented at Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 17, 2024)

Manuscript in progress

Image: Algae nutrient recycling, by Sandia Labs, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0