Biological Carbon Capture
Plants or Cyanobacteria?
Inspired by the explosive growth of the Azolla Event, the LivingTechnology Project set out to design a carbon capture system grounded in biological photosynthesis.
Halting climate change through direct air carbon capture demands system deployment at planetary scale. Accurately estimating this scale, requires quantifying the maximum carbon-fixation capacity achievable per system unit.
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Existing literature reports that Azolla ferns can double their biomass in as little as two days, placing it among the fastest-growing eukaryotic organisms in biology. Among all photosynthetic organisms, cyanobacteria grow the fastest, with certain species capable of doubling within two hours. However, the practical use of cyanobacterial biomass remains limited. Their cultures are highly sensitive to perturbations, require continuous, energy-intensive monitoring, and lack obvious pathways towards stable, scalable commodities.
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Azolla, by contrast, offers simple and direct applications. It thrives in open-air cultivation, has long been documented as an excellent fertiliser, improves soil nitrogen levels, and has demonstrated water-purification capabilities. Most importantly, Azolla is edible, with protein content comparable to soybean meal.
The LivingTechnology Project investigated the maximal growth rates of the Azolla genus to understand how the fastest growing plant could be integrated into the fight against the climate change of the Anthropocene. ​​​​​​​​​​
The Biology of growth
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Over the course of the LivingTechnology Project, we conducted over two years of wet-lab experimentation in collaboration with the Nürnberg Laboratory for Molecular Photosynthesis at the Institute for Experimental Physics, FU Berlin. During this period, we identified optimal growth conditions for Azolla across a range of parameters, including temperature, humidity, light intensity, elevated COâ‚‚ levels, and the chemical composition of the cultivation medium.
While the Bio-Division of the team investigated these biological factors, the Technology-Division developed an Azolla growth reactor engineered for cost-effective, space-efficient deployment and scalable operation.
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Two years of research, iterative design, and interdisciplinary collaboration culminated in a system optimized to sustain ideal growth conditions for the Azolla fern, fully automated and self-maintaining.​
Plant vs. Bacteria
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As we continued to refine our Azolla-based technology, the agricultural and bioremediative possibilities of this plant became increasingly evident. Understanding climate change as a problem of global scale we identified various paths to integrate Azolla pinnata into vulnerable regions where climate impacts threaten agricultural productivity and ecological stability.
In the laboratory we were able to confirm the maximal growth rates reported in the literature; however, significant improvements beyond the established two-day doubling time were not apparent. Based on this ultimate growth limit, we conclude, that the most effective, space-efficient, and industrially compatible biological candidate for carbon capture is found in cyanobacteria.
Numerous exciting initiatives are currently advancing cyanobacterial carbon-capture systems toward deployment. In this context, we would like to highlight the work of Cyanocapture, an Oxford-based spin-off founded by Dr. David Kim, which represents one of the leading efforts in cyanobacterial carbon-capture technology.
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The team has developed transgenic cyanobacteria, engineered to synthesise commercially valuable biological compounds as metabolic byproducts, promoting industry-adjacent integration.
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We enthusiastically acknowledge their contributions and applaud their endeavour!
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The AVOR-System
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In our pursuit of developing an Azolla-based carbon-capture technology, we came to an unexpected realization:
We had inadvertently created one of the most efficient food-production systems ever designed.
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The Azolla Vertical Overflow Reactor or AVOR-System, produces a diverse range of valuable agricultural outputs that could substantially support regions most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Our hope is to make an immediate contribution to communities already experiencing severe climate stress - combining the remarkable nutritional value of the Azolla plant with its unparalleled growth potential.
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Learn more about the technical details of the AVOR-System in our research report.​
