Greifswald: Millions for algae research – fight against climate change!

Greifswald: Millions for algae research – fight against climate change!

In a significant step for climate research, considerable funding worth millions is flowing to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The “Concentrate” research project is dedicated to the fascinating world of algae and their ability to store carbon dioxide in the form of sugar. After NDR It is supported by the German Research Foundation with a whopping 11 million euros, which promises significant impetus for the science location.

Researchers from the University and University Medical Center of Greifswald and the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW) have teamed up on this project. Their goal is to gain deeper insights into the mechanisms of sugar formation in algae. In the future, algae sugar could not only contribute to reducing global warming, but could also be of interest to the chemical industry and drug research.

The fascination of algae

The algae are true miracles of nature. With their photosynthesis processes, they convert 50 gigatons of carbon dioxide into sugar every year, some of which is stored as long-lasting carbohydrate. Studies show that algae worldwide store five times more CO2 than all of humanity emits. Recent research has shown that certain sugar polymers such as fucoidan from brown algae play a special role. Loud Plant research These sugars can be bound in the oceans for centuries - a real source of hope in the fight against climate change.

But the challenges don’t stop there. This is because many sugar polymers are quickly broken down and released by bacteria and other organisms. This is where the new special research area comes in, which will start this autumn at the universities of Bremen and Greifswald. Led by Professor Jan-Hendrik Hehemann, the research group aims to find out under what conditions these sugar compounds remain stable and can effectively store carbon. The first funding period is four years, with the possibility of extension up to twelve years taz emerges.

Climate protection strategies

Why is this so important? Because global warming is a central problem of our time. Oceans, forests and peatlands are the key players in the carbon storage game. Brown algae in particular remove an impressive 550 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year. Dr. Hagen Buck-Wiese, an outstanding scientist, received the BRIESE Prize for Marine Research 2023 for his doctoral thesis on brown algae and carbon storage. He confirms that fucoidan protects the algae from harmful microorganisms and could even contribute significantly to the formation of petroleum deposits.

With these findings, scientists hope not only to make progress in basic research, but also to concrete approaches to planting algae in suitable locations in order to actively counteract the climate crisis. This is where the good hands of researchers are needed, because ultimately it's about our shared future - and there's a good chance that these extraordinary plants can make a decisive contribution.