Here's a Swell Idea for Our Times: Build Column Bioreactors Strong Enough for Typhoons.
I came across this one this evening, for which I'll have little comment:
Developing a Wind-Resistant Column Photobioreactor to Tolerate 40 m/s Typhoon for Outdoor Microalgae with Carbon Fixation Jun Cheng, Zhao Li, Yulun Wu, Dongwei Jia, Lingchong Feng, Xiangbo Zou, Mumin Rao, Cao Kuang, Ji Ye, and Chuangting Chen Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2023 62 (37), 14923-14936.
From the intro:
Using CO2 from industrial exhaust gases as a carbon source for microalgae cultivation is a feasible method to reduce CO2 emissions. (1,2) The photosynthesis of microalgal cells converts the captured CO2 into glucose, which is the subsequently converted into high-value products such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and pigments. (3,4) A typical closed PBR includes the tubular, column, and plate types. (5) In these reactors, the microalgae cultivation conditions can be more finely controlled compared to the raceway ponds, (6,7) and the relatively large illuminated area is more suitable for mass microalgae cultivation. Compared to the other two types of closed PBR, the column PBR has the highest efficiency and productivity. (8)
The climate in the low-latitude coastal areas is hot and sunny, without an ice season, which is highly suitable for outdoor microalgal cultivation. However, typhoons occur frequently in this region during the summer, (9) and sometimes the wind can reach grade 15, with windspeeds of 36.9 m/s and wind pressure of 0.85 kN/m2. For mass outdoor microalgal cultivation, the column PBR is usually arranged in a glasshouse to withstand typhoons. The glasshouse frame is made of steel and covered with tempered glass, which is expensive and accounts for nearly 40% of the total construction costs of the PBR. To reduce costs and eliminate the need for glasshouses, a wind-resistant microalgal column PBR has become an urgent need in the industry.
Um...um...um...
Never mind.