ZIJ visits Elkem silicon plant to plan use of algae to capture CO2

ZIJ visited the Elkem Salten silicon plant in Norway to explore the use of microalgae to capture carbon dioxide.  The Elkem plant uses coal and coke along with electrical power to produce various forms of silicon and silica of use in many commercial applications. In the process, the plant releases a substantial amount of carbon dioxide and they seek to reduce these emissions potentially by using algae. In addition, the large aquaculture industry in Norway seeks to develop a stable, reliable and environmentally friendly source of aquafeed to reduce its dependency on imported fish oil and fish meal. Thus, the long term goal of the project is to capture carbon dioxide, use it to grow microalgae, and then develop an aquafeed based on the microalgae. The meeting was by hosted by representatives from Elkem and University of Nordland (Bodo) and included other members of our algae Consortium.