Many people use spirulina as a dietary supplement, but researchers at the Swiss Federal Material Science Laboratory have found a way to coat blue-green algae with semiconductor compounds to make these tiny spirulina work and clear the water. Pollutants, and then use their remains to make biofuels.
Coating materials such as nickel, zinc oxide, and zinc sulfide on the surface of spirulina. This composition was first developed on the tiny structure similar to ferns. Scientists found that the spirulina treated by this process is good at absorbing light can. Because the spiral shape of this unique algae can avoid the shading problem caused by the branch structure of micro ferns, thereby increasing light absorption.
The researchers coated a thin layer of nickel on the 4 micron spirals of the preserved spirulina, and then covered them with zinc oxide and zinc sulfide nanoparticles. Facts have proved that the magnetic properties of nickel are very good at recovering small spirals to finish painting, while the zinc coating shows "impressive photocatalytic activity".
The process was developed to use the purification properties of plants to help produce clean water. Under light, chemical reactions can oxidize and neutralize pollutants in the water. The combination of zinc oxide and nano-zinc sulfide particles allowed the team to simultaneously use the visible and ultraviolet parts of the solar spectrum to improve efficiency.
When the coated spiral completes the water purification task, the zinc and nickel compounds can be recycled and reused. The leftovers can then be used to produce bioethanol and biodiesel. The preserved spirulina residue can also be processed into pellets, which can be burned to produce energy, and the ashes can be used as fertilizer to cultivate new populations.
The Empa team said that the production cost of this kind of algae is relatively low, and it is also very easy. It only needs water, sunlight and fertilizer to reproduce quickly. More importantly, this single-celled organism consumes carbon dioxide and then throws the oxygen away as waste. By adding more carbon dioxide to the algae culture, this process will be further accelerated.
At present, this process has only been successfully demonstrated in a laboratory environment, but the researchers said they are confident that they can achieve larger-scale applications.
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