ANNOUNCEMENTS
Carbon capture, utilization, and storage has received attention lately as a measure to mitigate climate change. However, the artificial routes of carbon capture are economically inadequate to be scaled in the global South. This study presents a novel approach to capture atmospheric carbon via enhanced cultivation of the aquatic fern azolla, which has one of the lowest biomass doubling times (i.e., 2 to 5 days) among photosynthetic species. Due to azolla’s ability to capture atmospheric nitrogen, the harvested azolla can be used as a bio fertilizer, reducing the demand for nitrogenous fertilizers like urea and di ammonium phosphate. This could reduce the emissions associated with the production and use of synthetic fertilizers. Besides capturing carbon dioxide, this practice could also reduce the dependence of small and marginal farmers on expensive synthetic fertilizers, making the agricultural community more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
Azolla is an aquatic fern with very high growth rates, achieving a biomass doubling time of 2 to 5 days under optimal conditions. Apart from the high growth rates, azolla has a symbiotic relationship with an endophytic cyanobacteria Anabaena azolla which can fix atmospheric nitrogen. This characteristic enables the growth of azolla in nitrogen deficient conditions. Azolla can be used as a nutritional supplement for fish, poultry and dairy livestock. Azolla based biofuels are another end use alternative through the process of transesterification. The use of azolla as a bio fertilizer can potentially offset the demand for nitrogenous fertilizers like urea and di ammonium phosphate, which are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions.
The high growth rate of azolla can be leveraged to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) through the process of photosynthesis. This study explores a model of enhanced cultivation of azolla through vertical integration and soilless liquid fertilizer to establish year round carbon capture operations at minimal cost.
Keywords: Carbon capture, Azolla, Climate change, Anabaena azollae, Atmospheric nitrogen.
