Microalgae on the roof to absorb CO2 with the help of ESA satellites

It is called “Breathing Buildings for Sustainability” and combines sustainability and space technology. That satellites and space play a fundamental role in the fight against climate change is certainly not new, nor is the capture of CO₂ is a fundamental step in the fight against emissions. It starts from this premise, a completely Italian project that has now obtained funding from ESA (European Space Agency). The creators are Gabriele Cipri And Andrea Mororespectively Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Livegreena company based in Arborea, Sardinia, and which has been working for some time on microalgae and its uses, food and pharmaceutical and now also environmental, given their ability to “eat” carbon dioxide.

“We could consider it a natural technology,” explains Moro who coordinates a team of engineers and chemists. The project is based on a technology that will allow buildings to “breathe”, ie to convert the CO₂ decreasing the environmental impact and favoring the use of renewable energy resources. The directions? They will come directly from the satellite of the ESA project, Copernicus. in particular, Sentinel 5.

Space technology that cleans the air

“Our idea is to build microalgae cultivation plants to be placed on facades and on the roofs of buildings non-residential such as hotels, offices, companies, structures in industrial areas – explains Moro – the spirulinathe best known microalgae, in fact, consumes, absorbs and metabolizes CO₂ returning oxygen“. The first application of air purification took place in the Italian Pavilion of Expo 2021 in Dubai, where Livegreen together with another company, Tolo Greenhave created microalgae plants capable of metabolizing the breath of visitors to the pavilion rich in carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.

The prototype of the plant that is being built thanks also to funding from the European Space Agency, which will be ready at the end of the year. “The more pollution there is, the easier it will be to grow algae”, continues Moro. But the goal is not to create industrial production, rather “to have a kind of surrounding air purifier”. “A few years ago we felt like pioneers, now we are collaborating with ESA – explain the two managers of Livegreen – microalgae are indeed a frontier against climate change, they can consume the CO₂ of companies and transform it.

There is another fundamental aspect. When the biomethane will grow as an energy source, microalgae will be a fundamental piece of the mechanism. They are in fact able to recover nitrogen from anaerobic digesters without however dispersing it into the environment “.

Spirulina, the super food threatened by pollution

But how will this collaboration with space agency researchers work? “ESA will provide satellites that are able to accurately monitor thepollution around buildings – explains President Moro – so we can know how and how much to feed our microalgae. “These microorganisms feed on both nitrogen both of carbon dioxide. Just to give an example, a kilo of microalgae absorbs about two kilos of CO₂. “With this ability they can even compete with trees: a few square meters of crops are equivalent to 400 plants”.

The data

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Energy saving and water recycling

The microorganisms will also be able to reduce the building’s electricity consumption. By absorbing the sun’s rays, the microalgae will function as a sort of building screen contributing to heating, while the cultivation water could be inserted into the plants and recycled. “In fact, thecultivation water it can also be used as a heating source within the operating cycle “explain Cipri and Moro who aim to capture 640 kilos of Co2 per year saving 3 thousand kilowatts. But everything will start from space, from the Copernicus satellite.” It will be the satellites, with their images and data obtained with a multitude of techniques to make us more aware of what is happening in our cities. “And to help us change the air.