Discovering New Knowledge

by Venita Jenkins

Catharina Alves-de-Souza, research professor and director of UNCW’s Algal Resources Collection, is contributing her expertise to an interdisciplinary and multi-organization collaboration with the potential to make a real difference in the fight against global warming.

The project centers around investigating an alternative method of cement production that uses calcifying microalgae. This new CO2-neutral cement could be utilized in concrete structures and significantly contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of the cement industry, which accounts for 7% of the earth’s carbon dioxide originating from human activity.

“Concrete is an essential resource for climate-resilient construction, but the production of one of concrete’s main ingredients, portland cement, is energy-intensive and generates a large amount of carbon in the atmosphere,” said Stuart Borrett, associate provost for research and innovation. “If successful, this research could have a positive impact on the Earth’s climate.”

According to Alves-de-Souza, the project represents one of the more innovative and exciting examples of microalgal biotechnological applications, as the approach offers a revolutionary pathway to produce, for the first time, CO2-neutral portland cement using microalgae. Nothing like this has ever been attempted before.

During traditional cement production, most of the carbon dioxide is released due to calcining (heating) quarried limestone. This alternative method will generate cement that stores carbon dioxide by using calcifying microalgae that capture CO2 in the form of limestone plates that cover their cells. The ARC team, located at the UNCW Center for Marine Science, will screen hundreds of microalgae cultures to select those with characteristics of maximal growth and calcification. The team will also use existing knowledge on the ecology of these microalgae to optimize growth conditions and resolve the main bottleneck for the application of this technology: producing the required volumes of culture.

Alves-de-Souza is adding her expertise to a diverse research team that includes engineers, microalgal specialists, geneticists and business specialists.

“Interdisciplinary collaborations can lead to truly transformative results. Due to the common use of cement as a building material, this work has the potential to scale to global proportions and make a significant impact,” said Ken Halanych, executive director of the Center for Marine Science.

The team is comprised of researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and UNCW. For this project, Alves-de-Souza has been awarded $1 million of more than a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency. The funding stems from the ARPA-E HESTIA program, which prioritizes overcoming barriers associated with carbon-storing buildings, including scarce, expensive and geographically limited building materials.