Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Microalgae convert CO2 into useful basic chemicals

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Microalgae convert CO2 into useful basic chemicals

Researchers in Saxony are developing biotechnological cell factories that do not require agricultural land or fossil raw materials. Chemnitz University of Technology, Leipzig University, and Fraunhofer FEP are using microalgae to produce the important basic chemical glycolate from carbon dioxide and sunlight - a building block for medicines, preservatives, and polymers that is currently produced from partially toxic fossil raw materials.

The interdisciplinary cooperation project PhotoKon could make a significant contribution to the regional bioeconomy by producing valuable chemicals directly from CO2 and light, bypassing the need for scarce agricultural land or fossil resources. The researchers utilize the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, which they are optimizing for industrial use with novel mutation methods and AI-based screening.

The three project partners have already made significant progress and are working with innovative approaches. PhotoKon is developing the scientific basis for the use of ionizing radiation as a new method for the targeted cultivation and optimization of photosynthetically active cells.

Fraunhofer FEP in Dresden has developed a novel mutation method based on low-energy electron radiation (< 300 keV). Prof. Simone Schopf from Fraunhofer FEP emphasizes: “Accompanying dosimetry experiments with commercial film dosimeters and in-house dose measurement methods enable us to precisely control the mutagenic effect.”

Leipzig University has already demonstrated the basic feasibility of photocatalytic glycolate production and is developing an innovative pH-based screening method. This method uses color indicators on agar plates, which change as a result of glycolate excretion by the algae cells. This approach is based on the experimental observation that the accumulation of glycolate in the surrounding medium correlates with a decrease in pH.

#ChemnitzUniversity of Technology has made significant progress in robotics-assisted mutant screening using AI-based image analysis. The team is developing automated screening routines that can independently analyze thousands of algae colonies and identify promising mutants.

“This interdisciplinary approach enables us to specifically utilize the natural photorespiration of algae - normally an unwanted side effect - for targeted glycolate production," explains Prof. Severin Sasso from Leipzig University.

AI-based technology and intelligent process control

Screening and isolation of positive mutants are performed using an AI-based image recognition process with transfer learning approaches. By isolating promising cell factories, it is possible to investigate the biological basis of the effect of ionizing radiation on cells and to implement scaling in technical bioprocesses.

“We aim for a biologically and technologically improved process, which will be validated on a laboratory scale at the new Controlled Environment Agriculture Lab at Chemnitz University of Technology,” reports Dr. Felix Krujatz. Through intelligent control technology for the efficient production of glycolate on a laboratory scale, PhotoKon technology opens the door to sustainable, bio-based conversion of CO2 into the base chemical.

source : Fraunhofer FEP

Sunday's Thoughtful Post :GREAT WRAP MEETS A TOUGH REALITY

 ✅Sunday's Thoughtful Post

It's a wrap. A great idea meets a tough reality. I've just read the sad news that Great Wrap has ceased trading. With a great product idea, an alternative to the plastic cling film, & strong branding, why did it fail? Where did it go wrong? I didn't understand, so I did some research and found out what the lessons were for others in the purpose driven products & circular economy space.

✅ What the company was

Great Wrap, founded in 2019 by Jordy Kay and Julia Kay in Melbourne, Australia, developed compostable cling wrap & pallet wrap made from foodwaste and plantbased polymers.

It was positioned as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic stretch wrap, with strong media attention and investor support (inclu a A$24 million funding round in 2022).

The business had ambitions to scale: in 2022 it expanded its production facility to allow manufacturing of up to 30,000 tonnes of compostable wrap per year.

🚨 Why it ended

The company never achieved profitability: It incurred losses every year since its founding, with cumulative losses reported of over A$26 million.

Market shift

Its business model was built around compostable packaging, but many retailers and FMCG companies shifted strategy away from compostable materials & instead toward recycled content plastics / their own recycling operations. This reduced demand for Great Wrap’s products.

Over-capacity & demand shortfall

The manufacturing plant and equipment were built based on demand forecasts that did not materialise, meaning the cost base was too high for the realised revenue.

Insolvency

On 17 September 2025, the company’s operating entity (Plantabl Packaging Pty Ltd) entered voluntary administration with debts of roughly A$39 million. All 5 employees were made redundant, operations at the facility ceased.

🔍 Key take-aways & lessons

Strong idea, great brand and visual identity + sustainability credentials aren’t enough:

Commercial viability, market timing & cost structure matter just as much.

Innovation in manufacturing & sustainability is capital-intensive & risky when demand doesn’t scale as planned.

Market trends can shift rapidly

What looked like a growth opportunity (compostable packaging) was overtaken by other strategies (recycled content plastics) that proved more attractive in practice.

My own thoughts

With high fixed costs in manufacturing, things can go bad very quickly when sales slows down. I've seen this happen to a few purposedriven companies where manufacturing fixed costs are high & they grow too quickly, overordering stock they think will sell but doesn't.

Possible answers

With smaller products selling online, people have been successful in creating waiting lists and getting people to pre-order. Is this one solution? Or will people not wait and go elsewhere.

Buying & manufacturing in scale brings the cost/manufacturing price down but at what cost to the business. It's a difficult balance to get right.

source: Emma Geraghty

Eat for energy, not just fullness

 Food is your first productivity tool.

Yet most people are using it completely wrong.

Like others, I used to think about food in terms of numbers.

Calories in, calories out. Eat less, move more.

Job done.

But it doesn't quite work like that.

Especially when you're running a business or juggling different priorities.

➡️ Not all calories are equal.

500 from a fast food meal isn't the same as 500 from whole, nutrient-dense food.

One fills you.

The other fuels you.

The shift is simple:

→ Eat for energy, not just fullness

→ Eat for clarity, not convenience

→ Eat for the long game, not the next 10 minutes

Here are 5 ways your food choices impact how you show up every day:

1️⃣ Stable energy > Temporary highs

↳ Processed foods give you a quick high... then a crash.

↳ Whole foods keep you steady, which you need for high-performance.

2️⃣ Nutrients feed your brain

↳ Healthy fats, protein and real nutrients help you think clearly.

↳ Not just get through the day, but actually perform.

3️⃣ Gut health = focus + mood

↳ Your gut drives far more than digestion.

↳ Processed foods makes your focus worse. Real food keeps it balanced.

4️⃣ Inflammation is a silent performance killer

↳ Refined oils, sugar & additives don't affect you right away.

↳ But over time, they leave you foggy and fatigued.

5️⃣ Real food = more control

↳ Eat well, and you're not thinking about snacks every hour.

↳ You can focus on the work instead of the next sugar hit.

Busy doesn't have to mean burnt out.

You don't have to choose between ambition and health.

I'm not perfect with it either.

But the days I eat well, I show up better.

For work, for my family, and for myself.

What's one change you've made to your diet that's actually helped your focus?

♻️ Repost to help others fuel better.

source : Gareth Lloyd

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : HEMP HOUSE

 Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Once you’ve mixed a bucket of hemp-lime with your own hands, you’ll never look at concrete the same way again.

That’s when you realize that hempcrete isn’t just a sustainable alternative; it’s a carbon-sequestering, thermally efficient, and vapor-permeable building material that challenges conventional construction norms.

Unlike concrete, which emits significant CO₂ during production, hemp-lime absorbs carbon dioxide throughout its life cycle. The hemp plant itself captures CO₂ as it grows, and once built into walls, the lime binder continues to carbonate, locking that carbon in place for decades.

The result?

🏡 Buildings that are healthier, longer-lasting, and energy-efficient, with thermal mass and breathability that reduce heating and cooling loads.

At Hemp Town on Main, we focus on hands-on education and material innovation, showing how regenerative construction can help rebuild both communities and ecosystems from the ground up.

💚 Building a better world through hemp: science, sustainability, and soil health in action.

Watch the full video on YouTube

🔗 https://lnkd.in/gz9tmSMW

source :Hemp Technologies Global