New method uses microalgae to create eco-friendly carbon fibers for manufacturing

Carbon fibers are essential in aviation, wind energy, and lightweight construction. However, since they are based on petroleum, their production has been very harmful to the environment. A research consortium led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now succeeded in developing a production process for carbon fibers from renewable raw materials. Project coordinator […]

Circular bioprocess extracts valuable chemicals from algae

Engineered photosynthetic algae could be used within sunlight-powered sustainable chemical biofactories using a new circular production process developed at KAUST. The scalable process uses bespoke functionalized microparticles—rather than flammable organic solvents—for the critical step of harvesting the valuable chemicals that the algae produce. The microparticles are robust, reusable, and can be tailored to capture a […]