On Vulcano, a small island named after a volcano off the coast of Sicily, Italy, scientists have discovered a type of cyanobacteria in volcanic springs that can absorb carbon dioxide at an astonishing rate. In February of this year, the research team also completed sampling from carbonated springs in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA. The carbon dioxide concentrations in the environment were even higher than those on Vulcano, and further DNA sequencing is pending. The biotech company funding the project believes the findings will contribute to the next generation of carbon capture technology.
Unprecedented carbon-eating volcanic green photosynthetic bacteria cultivated in lab
The researchers say the microbe converts carbon dioxide into biomass faster than any other known cyanobacteria.
"These bacteria appear to be able to grow naturally in volcanic eruptions, efficiently utilizing the abundant carbon dioxide in the environment; compared to other known fast-growing cyanobacteria, this strain is more efficient at capturing carbon under several conditions. They also appear to have adapted to the bubbling, turbulent environment of volcanic eruptions, becoming denser and more prone to sinking... This unusual property may help capture carbon and store it in the deep ocean," said Max Schubert of Harvard University, one of the study authors.
After the discovery of the bacteria on a small Italian island last September, scientists collaborated with the University of Palermo to sample hydrological, sedimentary, and other microbial sources. Subsequently, additional teams, including those from Harvard Medical School, Colorado State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, joined the collaboration to cultivate CO2-capturing microorganisms from these samples in the laboratory, successfully isolating a previously unseen volcanic green photosynthetic bacterium.
Preliminary research data also shows that this strain can convert captured carbon into valuable compounds, such as biodegradable microbially polymerized PHA plastics.
Cyanobacteria are not a panacea for carbon reduction
However, according to The Guardian, study leader Braden Tierney, a scholar at Weill Cornell Medical College and Harvard Medical School, stated that this microbe is not a panacea. Currently, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to climate change and carbon capture. In some cases, trees can outperform microbes or fungi. But in other cases, these fast-growing, sinking microbes are the only viable options, and large carbon capture ponds may be necessary. This microbe may also be able to produce useful bioplastics.
Seed Health, the biotech company that funded the research, is also studying how to use microbial enzymes to break down plastic.
In February of this year, the research team visited Colorado, USA, where carbon dioxide concentrations were even higher at carbonated springs in the Rocky Mountains. The sampling results are currently being analyzed. The researchers stated that all data on this cyanobacteria, including DNA sequence results matched with stored cyanobacteria samples, will be published in a database for other scientists to use.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/236698)
