microbes to absorb CO2

2023-04-28 19:20:16

Scientists were looking for microorganisms thriving in extreme environments off the Italian island Vulcano. Pat on stock / stock.adobe.com

Researchers have discovered, near the Italian island Vulcano, a cyanobacterium capable of capturing large quantities of carbon dioxide.

Are microbes our best allies in the fight against global warming? A team of American researchers announces that they have discovered a cyanobacterium with properties amazing off the Italian island Vulcano, in volcanic plumes where the water had high concentrations of carbon dioxide.

Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae, have been present on Earth for at least 2 billion years. ” They are the first organisms to have acquired oxygenic photosynthesis ; we owe them the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere and the plants themselves come from these cyanobacteria “, explains Solène Moulin, researcher at the Californian University of Stanford. They use solar energy and CO₂ to produce in particular sugars, organic acids or alcohols.

Read alsoThe still distant promises of CO2 capture technologies

During their expedition last fall, researchers from the Two Frontiers Project (in collaboration with the company Seed Health) thus…

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