Bioreactors
While most antipollution technologies involve massive, complex equipment, some
scientists are experimenting with tiny, simple living organisms called
cyanobacteria that eat polluting carbon dioxide (CO2). These algae can flourish in the blistering temperatures of chimneys. Researchers have
designed "bioreactors," window-screen-like membranes teeming with
cyanobacteria, for future installation into power plant smokestacks. Fiber-
optic cables would focus life-sustaining light across the membranes, allowing
the algae to grow inside chimneys while feasting on a diet of CO2 exhaust. This technology has already proved itself in small-scale
demonstrations. A test on a fully operational power plant is about five years
away, and scientists are also studying the same algae as a potential source of
hydrogen energy.
