I am sure you must have watched green moss growing on walls during monsoon or green plants growing in ponds while enjoying boating. These are nothing but algae, a group of diverse eukaryotic and photosynthetic organisms. We all have come across algae in one or another way and have always thought them to be of no use but modern science has found out how algae can be a fresh innovative solution to our world.
1. Algae in the food industry-
Species of algae such as Spirulina and Chlorella have been used as a food supplement as it provides essential minerals and nutrients required by the human body in very small quantity. Algae have been considered as a superfood and algal food products such as protein powder, energy balls, smoothies, and chocolates are available in the market.
7 grams(1 tablespoon of dry spirulina powder) has 4 grams of protein and other nutrients such as riboflavin, iron, and thiamine.
Chlorella is one algae that is consumed by astronauts in space as a dietary supplement.
2. Algae as a bio fuel-
Micro-algae can be used to produce bio-oil by extracting oil from the algal cells and also producing bio-diesel by fermenting the algae biomass. Bio-fuels made from algae are less efficient than the fuel from fossils but these are added along with usual fuels at times. This fuel is also called green diesel. Algae can yield up to 10,000 gallons of diesel per acre.
3. Algae as a bio-fabric-
Wearing algae is a whole new concept. Bio-fabrics have been made from algae called algal seaweed fibre. These are easily biodegradable, strong, and flexible to wear. The fibres from the algae are tightly woven and knitted well. Algae-based leather which makes up bio lather is also commercially available in the market these days.
Photo credit-www.sciencetimes.com
4. Algae in medicine-
People have been using blue-green algae as a medicine to treat high blood pressure ever since the late 1970s. Cyanobacteria have also found their way into treating cancer by producing natural killer cells and cell cytotoxicity. It also possesses other pharmaceutical applications such as drug delivery, anti-microbial activity, and cosmetics. Astaxanthin and fucoxanthin are pigments extracted from micro-algae for treating cancer.
Photo credit-www.nutraingredients-usa.com
5. Algae for pollution control-
Research held by the Institute of multi-disciplinary research at the University of Belgrade has recently emerged in the scientific industry about 'Liquid trees'. These are made up of algae-based powders which can absorb carbon dioxide and replace it with oxygen. It combines dynamic designing, biology, and sustainable functionality in a single concept.
Photo credit-balkangreenenergynews.com
Apart from these algae have been used in a lot of other industries such as brown algae used as a source of potassium in fertilizers, paints, and pigments.
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