It’s no secret that human activities can be detrimental to planetary health and biodiversity; agriculture, manufacturing, and the simple acts of daily life use up natural resources, burn fossil fuels, and pollute water systems. Now, researchers study how algae, a diverse group of ancient unicellular organisms, might provide new approaches for sustainable living.
 modified from © istock.com, Weenee, Anastasiya Yunusova, nidwlw, Hennadii, auchara nimprositthi, Elif Bayraktar, bortonia, blueringmedia, petrroudny; designed by erin lemieux 1) Food productionAlgae could provide proteins for alternative meat and lipids for cooking oils and omega-3 fatty acids. 2) Crop improvementSpecial abilities possessed by certain algae species, like nitrogen fixation and enhanced photosynthesis efficiency, could be engineered into staple crop plants. 3) Water treatmentAlgae could reduce nutrient pollution in wastewater at the same time as recovering minerals like phosphorus, which could be reused as a component of fertilizer. 4) Other productsAlgae could produce more sustainable versions of organic compounds, such as squalene, that are currently harvested from the marine environment, or make ingredients for biodegradable plastics. |
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