Kurt Langberg
Charlottesville Open Bio Labs, University of Virginia, United States Army Reserve Medical Corps
Volunteer Lab Manager (C'ville Open Bio Labs), Laboratory Specialist (UVA), 72B-Entomologist (US Army)
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Published on Apr 10, 2019
CO2 Production of Kombucha grown in the presence of Spirulina over two weeks
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Published on Apr 10, 2019
Week 4 CO2 data; Kombucha grown next to Spirulina
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Published on Mar 31, 2019
Day CO2 production vs Night CO2 production
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Published on Mar 31, 2019
CO2 Production of Kombucha Grown in the Presence of Spirulina, Data Collection Week 3
Also of note is that at the end of this week we noticed that our cover failed to keep out fruit flies, so the scobe of the kombucha was infested with Drosophila melanogaster larva. As a result we ...
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Published on Mar 24, 2019
CO2 Production of Kombucha Grown in the Absence of Spirulina over a 2-Week Period
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Published on Mar 24, 2019
Production of CO2 by Kombucha in absence of Spirulina, week 2
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Published on Mar 17, 2019
Week 1 CO2 data
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Published on Mar 08, 2019
Data collection underway
A full two months after we originally planned to start data collection we are finally starting! The CO2 output of our kombucha culture is currently being monitored, with readings automatically tak...
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Published on Feb 18, 2019
Progress so far...
Here is what we have accomplished so far (also check out the attached file for a video of us pouring our tea for the kombucha growing environment into the greenhouse enclosure that we constructed):...
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I have bad news, and I have good news.
Bad news first. Open Biolabs is closing. This is a financial issue, we didn't budget well enough for long term overhead costs, and don't have the funds to keep the maker space open. The consequence of this is that we no longer have a space in which to conduct experiments.
This brings me to the good news. We are done with principle data collection, and we WILL publish our research. We may not be able to publish in a journal as prestigious as PLoS One, but we can "step down the ladder" to find a (non-predatory) journal that we can publish in without conducting additional tests. Rest assured, your investment is not in vain. I will be putting out new data as I get it analyzed, and we will move forward with writing a paper and submitting it.
Aug 04, 2019
Using Spirulina for carbon capture
View commentSorry this was a late update. My responsibilities with the Reserve have kept me occupied as of late.
Apr 10, 2019
Using Spirulina for carbon capture
View commentI will take the means of the nighttime data from each night, and the means of the daytime data from each day, plot them against each other and see what it looks like. "Day" for our purposes will be the 12-hour period during which the heat lamp is on, and "night" will conversely be the 12-hour period during which the heat lamp is off.
Mar 25, 2019
Using Spirulina for carbon capture
View commentI forgot to mention that we collected 332 data points in our first week.
Mar 17, 2019
Using Spirulina for carbon capture
View commentI want to assure everyone that even though we are way behind schedule, we are still making progress on the project. Currently, if there are no more delays, it looks like we will wrap up principle data collection by the end of March. Again that's if there are no more delays, and if we can get the CO2 meter to automatically record data points rather than give us a data dump from 2010.
Feb 21, 2019
Using Spirulina for carbon capture
View commentIt is also worth noting that all stock cultures are covered with a breathable nylon mesh to prevent insects, debris, or any other particulate contamination get into the stock cultures.
Feb 18, 2019
Using Spirulina for carbon capture
View commentThank you! We hope to do great things with the results, when we get them.
Jan 13, 2019
Using Spirulina for carbon capture
View commentIn the words of John Paul Jones, "I have not yet begun to fight!" Also, when it comes to climate change, STAND BACK! I'M GOING TO TRY SCIENCE!
And thank you for your support. We won't let you, or the future, down.
Nov 28, 2018
Using Spirulina for carbon capture
View commentWe will include the components and proportions of the salt mixture used in the growing process in lab notes posted on this web site, as well as in the paper. It might be possible to do a follow up experiment in which we try to tweak the growing conditions to see if we can alter the rate of carbon capture, but as you say; first step is first.
As to scale, imagine retrofitting a parking garage to grow Spirulina in long rectangular tanks on each level. This would not only bring a skyscraper mentality to carbon capture, it could also be done in cities around the world with minimal infrastructure change or disruption. Plus retrofitting existing structures rather than building new ones for Spirulina growth means that we wouldn't have to wait five to ten years just to start.
I plan to do some serious number crunching on this parking garage idea in the discussion section of the paper. Include details like the dimensions of the average parking garage, how much Spirulina by liquid volume and cell concentration could be grown on each level, how much carbon dioxide (based on the results of our experiment) would be pulled from the air by each tank and each facility on average, how much Spirulina could be harvested biweekly, how much salt mixture it would take to grow that much Spirulina, and what infrastructure would have to be installed for such facilities to grow Spirulina year round.
Specific aspects of the idea may fly over like a lead balloon, but the basic concept of a vertical facility that grows carbon capturing Spirulina on each level is a necessary idea. Particularly for putting carbon sinks near urban centers that produce great amounts of CO2. The harvested product can be shipped wherever it needs to go to be processed for the sake of downstream applications.
Nov 28, 2018
Using Spirulina for carbon capture
View commentThis is true, your point is absolutely valid. Whether or not the carbon is sequestered depends entirely on what is done with the Spirulina after it is harvested. The Spirulina itself only performs the initial step of pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere via respiratory metabolism. Most of the commercial applications for which Spirulina could be sold would put carbon back into the atmosphere. Other than the two applications you mentioned, if it is buried deep within the Earth, say for example putting it into dried up/tapped out oil wells, would that not also sequester the carbon and prevent it from escaping back into the atmosphere upon decaying? It's not as commercially viable, but it's an option.
I fully intend to address the following points in the discussion section of the paper: what happens to the carbon Spirulina pulled from the atmosphere through respiratory metabolism when 1) left to decompose, 2) sold as a food product for human consumption, 3) sold as feedstock for animals, 4) used to produce biofules, 5) used in scientific research, 6) when used to produce biomaterials such as biocar and bioplastics, and 7) when buried deep underground. These points should at least be able to be discussed on a hypothetical level referencing previous literature. Finding out exactly what happens in hard numbers would have to be the focus of a series of followup experiments.
Nov 28, 2018
Using Spirulina for carbon capture
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