NOVARA, ITALY
Italian company Eni is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world. The seven ‘supermajor’ companies, which also includes BP and Shell PLC, are dubbed Big Oil for their influence on economy and politics. But as science warns us of the link between fossil fuels and global warming, some of Big Oil’s biggest polluters have pivoted to invest in greener energy.
One method to lower the carbon footprint of energy production is called carbon biofixation. Eni is using this process in reactors, pictured here, to feed algae with waste carbon dioxide. Algae, like plants, photosynthesise to grow.
Photosynthesis uses sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, but Eni researchers have taken Mother Nature’s idea on step further. LEDs provide the algae with light at the exact wavelength needed to maximise their carbon consumption.
Research into biofixation solutions could make it commercially viable within the next decade.