They discover a volcanic microbe that consumes carbon dioxide ‘surprisingly fast’

To face global warming, the goodwill of all the countries of the world is needed, but until now there doesn’t seem to be much progress in that direction. We will need a miracle; and perhaps we are already in the presence of one.

because the discovery of a microbe that gobbles up carbon dioxide at an “amazing” rate. Without a doubt, it can be classified as a miracle. Because at this point in the game, who would dare to say they don’t exist.

The new microbe, a cyanobacterium, was found in a volcanic hot spring and astonished scientists when they discovered the potential to consume carbon dioxide.

As we know, the carbon dioxide it is the most important greenhouse gas driving climate change and global warming.

And specialists are anxious because they believe this fascinating discovery it could make a differenceand help reduce CO2 from the atmosphere on scales never seen before.

researchers I hope to use microbes They have naturally evolved to absorb CO2 as an efficient way to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

Mind you, stopping the burning of fossil fuels is still needed to end the climate crisis, but most scientists also agree it will be needed. absorb CO2 from the air to limit future damage.

The new microbe was discovered in volcanic seeps near the Italian island of Vulcano, where water contains high levels of CO2. Researchers argue that the insect converted CO2 into biomass faster than any other known cyanobacteria.

The team too explored hot springs in the Rockies in Colorado, USA, where CO2 levels are even higher. And now the results of this investigation are awaited.

“It was possible to isolate this organism which it grew incredibly fastcompared to other cyanobacteria,” said Dr. Braden Tierney, of Weill Cornell Medical College and Harvard Medical School.

“The project exploits 3.6 billion years of microbial evolution”, he said, and continued: “The good thing about microbes is that they are self-assembling machines. You don’t have many.”

“This new microbe it had one more unusual propertyTierney added: It sinks in water, which could help collect the CO2 it absorbs.

“But the microbe wasn’t a panacea. Really there is no single solution to climate change and carbon sequestration. There will be circumstances where the tree will outgrow the microbes or fungi,” she added.

“But there will also be circumstances where you really want a fast-growing, sinking aquatic microbe,” he said. “That could include large carbon sequestration ponds. Even the microbe could produce a useful bioplastic“.

The project was funded by biotech company Seed Health, which also hired Tierney as a consultant. “Seed Health was founded on the belief that unlocking the immense potential of the microbiomewe have the power to make transformative advances in human and planetary health,” said co-CEO Raja Dhir.

The idea of ​​using bacteria to capture CO2, potentially enhanced by genetic engineering, is an active area of ​​research. A recent review suggested that bacteria could produce useful chemicals in addition to trapping CO2, stating: ‘The use of engineered bacteria to control CO2 it has the added benefit of generating useful industrial by-products such as biofuels, pharmaceuticals and bioplastics”.

The American company LanzaTech already uses bacteria to convert CO2 into fuels e commercial chemicals. UK-based CyanoCapture, backed by Shell and Elon Musk, is harnessing cyanobacteria to produce biomass and bio-oils.

Many companies are working using algae to produce biofuelsalthough ExxonMobil recently completed its investigation into it.

When biofuels are burned, the captured CO2 returns to the atmosphere. But research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the US is exploring the use of bacteria to precipitate minerals that capture carbon from seawaterblocking CO2.

This work is based on a catalytic enzyme that is also being investigated by scientists in China who are looking for it heat resistant enzymes in warm vents on the ocean floor.

Bacteria found in caves have also been shown to convert CO2 into minerals. Other scientists claim using bacteria to reduce CO2 emissions from cement production .

Source: The Guardian