Scientists have developed a bioreactor that absorbs the carbon dioxide from the air and turns it into oxygen using the trusty slimy algae that's found under the sea.
Hypergiant
As reported first by FastCompany, the seven-foot-tall bioreactor just takes up three feet by three feet space on the floor and is connected to an HVAC system (air conditioning system). The bioreactor dubbed Eos -- which is a prototype --? has been developed by Hypergiant- an AI and robotics company that wanted to be responsible towards nature since they had the opportunity and technology to do so.?
To the uninitiated, algae is the green slimy stuff that one finds underwater. It requires just three things to grow -- sunlight, water and CO2. Moreover, unlike trees, algae grow faster with the ability to sequester carbon quickly. As per company claims, the device that helps algae to grow healthily could easily sequester approximately two tons of carbon from the air each year.
Hypergiant isn't the first to harvest algae to sequester carbon, however they're using their prowess in AI and machine learning to take things up a notch, or two, by also developing an app that autonomously monitors and runs the bioreactor.?
Hypergiant
Eos is loaded with a bunch of sensors for light, water pH levels, temperature, oxygen output etc. These sensors are constantly monitoring the performance and tweaking it to be used in other scenarios and locations too, such as rooftops.
According to Ben Lamm, CEO and founder of Hypergiant Industries, "With the first generation Eos, we have precise control of every aspect of the algae's environment and life cycle. It's a photobioreactor, but it's also an experimentation platform.?
He further added, "We'll be using this platform to better understand the environment that best suits biomass production under controlled circumstances so that we can better understand how to design reactors for the variety of environmental conditions we're going to encounter in the wild."