Algae, tiny organisms that are sometimes mistaken for plants, can be involved in the fight against climate change. Student Karolína Smutková is researching them. Specifically, she focuses on how to harness their ability to consume carbon dioxide.

One of the promising ways to slow down the global climate change is to reduce the production of carbon dioxide, which mankind emits in excessive amounts to the atmosphere. In processes, where CO2 emissions cannot be reduced, we can look for ways of how to consume the emitted gas. A possible solution is the cultivation of microalgae in so-called photobioreactors, which is also the focus of doctoral student Karolína Smutková.

"A photobioreactor is a device where algae, like plants, consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis. In a photobioreactor, light, carbon dioxide and nutrients are converted into biomass, often referred to as third-generation biomass," says Karolína.

Microalgae are used in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. They are also used as feed, additives in rubber, building materials or food supplements. Algae can also be converted into biofuels. The photobioreactors that Karolína works with in the laboratory at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Brno are equipped with a number of sensors and other devices that allow for detailed measurement, regulation and, in particular, optimization of the microalgae cultivation process.

"This technology makes sense to me because, unlike other technologies that try to address excess CO2, there is no intermediate step of storing and transporting CO2 to the processing site. In this technology, CO2 is transformed into biomass with wide range of uses directly in the cement works or power plants. An interesting fact here is that we also know types of algae that consume other gases, which makes this technology even more widely applicable," Karolína believes.