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#1 2021-07-08 12:40:32

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 16,754

Algae

For SpaceNut ... we had no topics devoted exclusively to Algae

To start this new topic, here is a report of academic research combining with ** really ** practical commercial application:

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/brewery … 47217.html

Matthew Hart
Thu, July 8, 2021, 1:59 PM
Tackling the seemingly endless number of issues climate change poses is going to take tons of creative solutions. Luckily for all of us, there are lots of people out there taking the challenge seriously; deploying autonomous machines to clean out the world’s rivers, for example. Or feeding cows seaweed to limit their methane output. Or, in the case of the independent brewery, Young Henrys, using tanks of algae to mitigate its carbon footprint.


DesignTAXI reported on Young Henrys use of algae tanks as climate change-busting devices. The brewery, located outside of Sydney, Australia, teamed up with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) for the endeavor. With both organizations aiming to neutralize the carbon dioxide Young Henrys produces as it brews its beer.

In the video, which you can watch in full here on YouTube, Young Henrys co-founder Oscar McMahon and Dr. Janice McCaughly, walk through the process of how the algae consumes the CO2 produced by the brewing process. (The relevant part of the tour begins around minute 34.) And it is simultaneously magical, primordial, and a little bit like something you’d see on the set of a Bill Nye TV series.

A man and a woman stand in front of two tanks full of algae, which are housed inside of a brewery.
Young Henrys

- ADVERTISEMENT -

As McCaughly notes, the tanks of algae—which contain nearly five million microalgae cells—absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide that Young Henrys fermentation vessels produce. (Yeast gobbles up sugars to create alcohol, and CO2 is a byproduct.) The algae then uses light to convert the inorganic molecules into an organic one: glucose. In the process, the algae produces breathable oxygen, as well as biomass usable as a nutritional component, or even for plastic fibers. In total, a single one of Young Henrys breweries can produce as much oxygen as a hectare of Australian forest via photo synthesis.

Perhaps just as important as Young Henrys use of algae tanks is its use of solar panels. The company says that it has two community solar farms that provide their breweries with power. And because the algae tanks undoubtedly need electricity, that’s a good way to make sure the whole process stays (a bright, neon) green.

The post Brewery Uses Algae Tanks to Absorb Its Greenhouse Gases appeared first on Nerdist.

(th)

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#2 2021-07-08 20:03:20

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,747

Re: Algae

The search engine is a bit picky... here are just a few such topics where its Algea misspelled

Utilization and Issues of Algae for Martian Colonization
Current experiments on algea, lichen etc.? - Anybody doing this stuff
Algae food
life support proposal - water/waste recycling, food production.
Wastewater Treatment
Crops, Aquatic


The big issues is that there is many varieties of Algae and what to do with each....

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#3 2021-07-09 06:09:26

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 16,754

Re: Algae

For SpaceNut ... thanks for looking again for algae ... This morning it ** did ** find Utilization ...

If it had shown that yesterday I'd have used it ...

However, the new topic is available for everyone in the Solar system, and not just Mars.

On the other hand, your Post #2 does give a future forum reader a snapshot of related topics they might investigate.

So I think we have the topic covered.

I'd appreciate someone commenting upon the essence of the article, which was that making beer leads to production of Oxygen ...

That should be of interest to future space dwellers of all places and times.

(th)

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#4 2021-12-21 11:24:02

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,747

Re: Algae

link of kbd's contains Algae growth
WATER WALLS ARCHITECTURE

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#5 2022-04-20 06:55:35

Mars_B4_Moon
Member
Registered: 2006-03-23
Posts: 8,892

Re: Algae

quote from a discussion in one of those Booze, Art, Music, Drugs, Relaxation, Alcohol or Downtime threads

Calliban wrote:

Interesting reference on the possible use of microalgae to produce ethanol.
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/47886

Comparison of yields per acre:

Wheat: 277 gal/acre.
Algae: 5,000–15,000 gal/acre.

We would need to produce a blend of fermented micro algae that results in pleasant flavours that people will enjoy.  But the much greater yield of micro algae and its ability to grow in panels and thin tubes, gives it an enormous advantage over other foods that we might grow on Mars.  And it has the advantage that we can drain it into tanks at night time to avoid it freezing.

One of the key enabling technologies for human colonisation of Mars is our ability to grow micro algae and combine and process these algae to produce foods that are palatable and nutritious.  Without this technology, each human colonist will have to be supported by hundreds of square metres of heated, pressurised greenhouses.  These would be very expensive to produce and energy intensive to operate.  A large part of the estimated 100kW of power capacity needed to support each colonist on Mars would be taken up by food production.  Processed algae avoids almost all of this requirement.  It will be the cheapest way of making food and alcohol.

If the yield estimates above are to be believed, then a single acre of algae panels (40 x 100m) will yield around 20,000 litres of ethanol per year.  That is equivalent to 50,000 litres of standard 40% whisky or vodka or 500,000 litres of beer.

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#6 2022-05-07 07:56:43

Mars_B4_Moon
Member
Registered: 2006-03-23
Posts: 8,892

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#7 2022-05-07 22:42:02

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,747

Re: Algae

The algae, micro algae and seaweed are not the same things....some can under fast growing are toxic...now if we are looking for fast grow to convert to fuel then that is good as we need that most of all for the energy levels of mars being by far less than earths.
Man needs food as well as other things from these types of organisms.

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#9 2022-06-03 08:29:16

Mars_B4_Moon
Member
Registered: 2006-03-23
Posts: 8,892

Re: Algae

Scientists power a small computer processor with Algae

https://www.freethink.com/technology/al … d-computer

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#10 2022-09-24 05:16:32

Mars_B4_Moon
Member
Registered: 2006-03-23
Posts: 8,892

Re: Algae

541-million-year-old 3D fossil algae reveal modern-looking ancestry of the plant kingdom

https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/541_ … m_999.html

Paleontologists have identified a new genus and species of algae called Protocodium sinense which predates the origin of land plants and modern animals and provides new insight into the early diversification of the plant kingdom.

Discovered at a site in China, this 541-million-year-old fossil is the first and oldest green alga from this era to be preserved in three dimensions, enabling the researchers to investigate its internal structure and identify the new specimen with unprecedented accuracy. The study is published in BMC Biology, opening a window into a world of evolutionary puzzles that scientists are just beginning to unravel.

"Protocodium belongs to a known lineage of green algae and has a surprisingly modern architecture, showing that these algae were already well diversified before the end of the Ediacaran period," says co-author Cedric Aria, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto and based at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). "Its discovery touches the origin of the entire plant kingdom and puts a familiar name on the organisms that preceded the Cambrian explosion over half a billion years ago, when the world's first modern ecosystems emerged."

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#11 2022-09-27 12:44:18

Mars_B4_Moon
Member
Registered: 2006-03-23
Posts: 8,892

Re: Algae

'Fuel to Mars' study heads to moon

https://phys.org/news/2022-09-video-fuel-mars-moon.html

A Duke research study is preparing to blast off to the Moon with NASA on Artemis I.

Dr. Tim Hammond, professor of medicine at Duke, and co-investigator Dr. Holly Birdsall created the "Fuel to Mars" study to identify genes and gene pathways that fuel-producing algae use to survive deep space. A duplicate control experiment is housed at the Durham VA hospital to see how the algae grow without exposure to radiation and microgravity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrEX1x0nN3s

Artemis  which has been delayed already

Their findings could help pave the way for future human space explorers.



The Potential of Biomaterials for Human Space Exploration
https://www.newsweek.com/potential-biom … on-1742938
Biomaterials that aid human systems are a relatively new field

Long-term space travel is becoming increasingly likely as global organizations plan missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Yet it's no secret that venturing beyond Earth's atmosphere wreaks havoc on the human body.

To achieve these ambitious goals and take us one step closer to establishing a revolutionary spacefaring economy, our latest crop of explorers will need all the help they can get. The key to their survival may lie in cutting-edge biomaterials.
What are biomaterials?

Biomaterials are objects, substances or surfaces interacting with a biological system. This term has many applications in medicine, where biomaterials are used to enhance, replace and repair limbs and bodily functions. These materials can be either natural or synthetic in origin. Many prosthetic legs, for instance, are composed primarily of aluminum or titanium

What is the outlook for 3-D bioprinting of body parts?

Prolonged time spent space traveling translates to dangerous bone loss and cartilage deterioration. The European Space Agency (ESA) has invested in multiple 3-D bioprinting technologies to ensure people heading far, far away from Earth can utilize specialized technology to combat these issues.

Instead of packing bulky medical supplies, 3-D bioprinting allows individuals to respond to medical emergencies as they arise. So far, scientists working with the ESA have managed to print skin and bone samples in conditions that mimic those aboard a spacecraft. For skin, they created a biomaterial combining blood plasma with methylcellulose and alginate found in plants and algae. For the bone sample, they added calcium phosphate bone cement.
Biomaterial applications also exist for cosmic radiation protection.

Because most trips to the ISS have only been for six to twelve months, cosmic radiation's effects have not yet been a major concern for astronauts. But a round-trip to Mars takes approximately 180 days.

Traditional materials for blocking radiation, such as lead and water, are unrealistically heavy for a long-term mission. But melanin, a naturally-occurring pigment that shields organisms from the sun's harmful rays, is a promising alternative to protect crews and keep weight down.

NASA may someday offer astronauts a bioengineered "sunblock" cream filled with selenomelanin. Tested by biochemists at Northwestern University, it combines the naturally occurring pigment with selenium, a metal that helps prevent cancer. When applied to skin cells, it rapidly absorbed and darkened the cells. In 2019, a similar biomaterial created with fungi was sent to the ISS for further testing.

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#12 2022-10-09 15:40:19

Mars_B4_Moon
Member
Registered: 2006-03-23
Posts: 8,892

Re: Algae

Algae as microscopic biorefineries
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 … 132605.htm

Symbiotic partnerships with algae help corals weather thermal stress
https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/272 … mal-stress

The potential of microalgae biomass as a renewable resource
https://inhabitat.com/the-potential-of- … -resource/

Interest in microalgae-based fuels is growing because of their numerous advantages.

Onshore algae farms could become 'breadbasket for Global South'
https://phys.org/news/2022-10-onshore-a … lobal.html

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#13 2022-10-17 08:57:31

Calliban
Member
From: Northern England, UK
Registered: 2019-08-18
Posts: 3,352

Re: Algae

Micro-algae for food.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AmzSmIgNXv8

Although micro-algae can grow 10x more quickly than land based crops, there are problems that limit their potential application on Earth.  One of the difficulties of getting good yields from microalgae on Earth, is harvesting enough CO2 to supply it.  Open raceway ponds partially solve this problem, but are vulnerable to bacterial, viral and fungal contamination.  These problems will not exist on Mars.  All we need do is compress the Martian atmosphere and inject seperated liquid CO2 into the water.

Algae can be grown in glass or polymer tubes.  All nutrients can be recycled back into the water.  There are none of inefficiencies associated with land based crops, such as nitrogen run off or water evaporation.  Seperated algae paste is the only thing that leaves the system.  Distilled water and feed nutrients enter the system and are used with 100% efficiency, given that there is no way for them to leave other than being consumed.  On Mars, growing food in water filled tubes avoids the need for colonists spending time in greenhouses, where they are exposed to cosmic radiation.    Colonising Mars requires that we produce a lot of food very cheaply.  This was ultimately what drove human beings to colonise other lands here on Earth.  America is wealthy in no small part, because of its ability to produce abundant food.  Mars colonisation will succeed or fail, depending upon the ability of Martians to do the same thing.

But producing food that people will want to eat from micro-algae is a challenge.  There are thousands of different micro-algae, many of them edible.  We are only just beginning to explore how these might be used as food ingredients.  Developing this technology is one of the most important milestones for achieving a city of 1 million people on Mars.  Trying to feed those people with hundreds of square kilometres of heated, pressurised greenhouses, probably wont be affordable.  But a few tens of square kilometres of thin panels, carrying coiled plastic tubes that rarely need servicing in any way, is a far more practical proposition.

Developing safe, nutritious and desirable food from micro-algae, is one of the most important steps on the road to space colonisation.  It is one of those areas where third parties with more limited funding, can contribute most to achieving Elon Musk's vision.

Last edited by Calliban (2022-10-17 09:02:31)


"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."

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#14 2022-10-17 09:22:15

Terraformer
Member
From: Ceres
Registered: 2007-08-27
Posts: 3,800
Website

Re: Algae

Perhaps duckweed will be more palatable? Very high protein, especially if we put as much nitrogen in as they can take, so probably not workable as a staple food unless we develop lower protein varieties. Good for animal feed though --  we could turn it into eggs and fish easily enough.


"I'm gonna die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy." - If this forum was a Mars Colony

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#15 2022-10-17 09:48:36

Calliban
Member
From: Northern England, UK
Registered: 2019-08-18
Posts: 3,352

Re: Algae

Terraformer wrote:

Perhaps duckweed will be more palatable? Very high protein, especially if we put as much nitrogen in as they can take, so probably not workable as a staple food unless we develop lower protein varieties. Good for animal feed though --  we could turn it into eggs and fish easily enough.

Duckweed would work just as well as microalgae in a tube farm concept, as it is a small, rootless floating plant.  Unlike on Earth, we can ensure that it is farmed as a monocrop and under optimum conditions.

Another similar crop:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolffia_arrhiza

Wolffia is 40% starch.  Maybe we can make bread and flour using wolffia?

By adding amylase enzymes we can break the starch down into sugars.  From sugar we can make alcohol.

Last edited by Calliban (2022-10-17 09:55:19)


"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."

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#16 2022-10-17 09:52:40

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 16,754

Re: Algae

For Terraformer re Duckweed ...

From the Wikipedia article, expanding on your hint about protein ...

Use as human food crop
Duckweed is eaten by humans in some parts of Southeast Asia. It contains more protein than soybeans, so sometimes it is cited as a significant potential food source.[6][7]

Some initial investigations to what extent duckweed could be introduced in European markets show little consumer objection to the idea.[8] NASA's Caves of Mars Project identified duckweed as a top candidate for growing food on Mars.[9]

(th)

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#17 2022-10-17 11:06:34

Terraformer
Member
From: Ceres
Registered: 2007-08-27
Posts: 3,800
Website

Re: Algae

40% starch *as of now*. I do not think we have applied much selective breeding to these plants yet. It may not take all that long to develop a variety that can be used as a staple crop, possibly down here on Terra if we can solve the problems that have plagued such attempts at bioreactors so far.


"I'm gonna die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy." - If this forum was a Mars Colony

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#18 2022-12-16 19:03:19

Calliban
Member
From: Northern England, UK
Registered: 2019-08-18
Posts: 3,352

Re: Algae

Interesting article on flavourings.
https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015 … l-flavors/

Flavour compounds account for between a few ppm to 0.1% of the weight of food stuffs.  Provided we can produce bulk food ingredients on Mars, flavourings are light enough to allow import from Earth.

This article discusses the potential for aerogels to heat up areas of the planet.  The same material wouod be valuable for food production.  Thin transparent plastic panels, perhaps an inch thick and covered in a 1cm layer of aerogel on each side, would keep water liquid within an internal raceway of tubes, through which algae and nutrient solution is passed.
https://seas.harvard.edu/news/2019/07/m … -habitable

Last edited by Calliban (2022-12-16 19:03:58)


"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."

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#19 2022-12-16 20:28:44

Void
Member
Registered: 2011-12-29
Posts: 6,976

Re: Algae

A very valuable material(s).  (I will only deviate from topic a bit.  The heat captures could be assistive in growing algae).

I have now wondered if aerogel could be good for solar power.  I recall a supervisor at the research center I worked at telling us that if you heat something up to 800 degrees, (I presume F), half of the energy radiates away, so if you were to focus a concentrating mirror on a heat exchanger, you face really nasty losses.  So, I though aerogel.  I was right turns out someone is on it now.

https://cleantechnica.com/2021/11/29/ne … ower-ball/
Quote:

Earlier this year, the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory ran the numbers and outlined the need to do something about industrial process heat, such as paper mills and other industrial processes that require heat.


“Fossil fuels account for about 87% of all manufacturing fuel use in the United States, which is essentially the same as four decades ago,” NREL observed, emphasizing the need for a strategic approach.

Quote:

The team is confident that the new aerogel will enable parabolic trough solar power systems to heat a circulating fluid up to 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. They also envision a modular, scalable system that could be deployed widely across industrial sites.

I have a feeling that kdb512 will like this one also.  I recall him having some affinity for solar thermal.

I am going to work with materials from this topic over in http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 07#p204207 now.

Algae and other things will be featured.

Done

Last edited by Void (2022-12-16 20:38:45)


Done.

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#20 2022-12-16 20:33:53

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,747

Re: Algae

Aerogel is a light weigh high temperature insulator.

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#21 2022-12-16 20:36:44

Void
Member
Registered: 2011-12-29
Posts: 6,976

Re: Algae

Yes, this looks really, really good.

Done.


Done.

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#22 2023-02-09 11:02:03

Mars_B4_Moon
Member
Registered: 2006-03-23
Posts: 8,892

Re: Algae

Microalgae: what are they and how to grow and use them
https://www.eufic.org/en/food-productio … d-use-them

Lichen it? They’re loving it. All the rain has been great for them
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-a … 5cc4w.html
'In really dry conditions lichens desiccate but don’t necessarily die. As soon as they become wet, they transform from crumbly shards into a soft velvety mass – and they start growing again.'

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#23 2023-02-28 12:35:27

Mars_B4_Moon
Member
Registered: 2006-03-23
Posts: 8,892

Re: Algae

This Common Aquatic Plant Could Produce Buckets of Biofuel
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti … -biofuel1/

Biofuel exemption planned for home heating oil
https://www.agcanada.com/daily/biofuel- … eating-oil

Exxon Gives Up on Much-Hyped Algae Biofuels
https://gizmodo.com/exxon-gives-up-on-a … 1850108146

Soybean oil for biofuels has limited impact on overall food prices
https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/news/ … ood-prices

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