…wondered nobody ever.
And then I joined Algreen as an intern, and it completely changed the way I saw something whose existence I barely knew about.
Just like you, my first impression of algae was that it was something vaguely green, probably floating around in a pond somewhere, doing… algae things and polluting everything. Let’s be realistic here, it doesn’t exactly look like nature’s most aesthetic offering.
Turns out, I was highly ignorant. (Surprise, Surprise)
These tiny organisms have been quietly photosynthesising for billions of years, helping shape the atmosphere we breathe today.
And somehow, we have such a horrible impression of those poor beings.
So naturally, I went down a rabbit hole, as I always do.
Before forests, there were tiny oxygen-makers.
When we think about the organisms responsible for oxygen on Earth, forests usually get all the credit.
And fair enough. Trees are tall, green and pretty impressive.
But long before forests covered the planet, photosynthetic microorganisms were already doing their thing.
One of the biggest groups?
Phytoplankton.
These microscopic organisms float through oceans and other bodies of water, using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into organic matter while releasing oxygen through photosynthesis.
Suddenly, the green stuff in a jar seems a little less boring.
Okay, but what exactly are microalgae?
Here's where it gets slightly confusing.
“Algae” isn't one single organism.
It's more like a giant biological umbrella.
Some algae are large enough to form the seaweed you see along coastlines.
Others are microscopic, often single-celled organisms.
Those microscopic forms are what we commonly refer to as microalgae.
And their basic recipe for growth is surprisingly simple:
Light + Water + CO₂ + Nutrients
Give the right species the right conditions and they photosynthesise, grow and produce biomass.
Which brings us to the part that made me understand why scientists are so interested in them.
Because microalgae don't just grow.
They produce stuff.
So researchers are exploring microalgae.
Researchers aren't only studying what microalgae can make. They're also studying what they can consume.
Some systems use nutrient-rich wastewater as a resource for algal cultivation, allowing organisms to take up compounds such as nitrogen and phosphorus while producing biomass.
However, microalgae aren't some magical green solution that has already solved everything. It is still a very real challenge to unlock their full potential.
Growing microalgae isn't as simple as putting them in water and leaving them in the sun. Light, temperature, nutrients, CO₂ availability and culture conditions all affect productivity. And once you've grown millions of microscopic cells suspended in water, you still have to separate the biomass from that water which can be one of the expensive parts of the process.
How do you do all of this economically?
So we're not looking at a finished technology.
We're looking at a biological platform that scientists are still figuring out how to use better.
What if nature wasn't just decoration?
Usually, when we talk about bringing nature indoors, we mean plants.
Perhaps, a nice plant on a desk and a few pots in the office that everyone forgets to water.
But what if a living organism could be part of the technology itself?
That's where AlGreen comes into the picture.
The company is exploring what happens when we take something nature has been doing for billions of years ,photosynthesis and design technology around it.
One example is VAYU, a compact system that cultivates living Spirulina in a controlled environment.
The basic idea is fascinatingly simple:
Give it light and the conditions they need to grow → they photosynthesise → they take up CO₂ as part of that process.
Why Spirulina specifically?
Spirulina isn't just some random green substance that happens to look good in a glass tube.
It's a photosynthetic microorganism with a remarkably efficient growth system.
And compared with many terrestrial plants, microalgae can achieve high rates of carbon fixation because they grow rapidly and can be cultivated at high densities.
AND...the interesting part is the shift in thinking.
Instead of asking:
“How do we build another machine to deal with this problem?”
we can also ask:
“Is there something nature already knows how to do?”
And then:
“Can we design around it?”
At AlGreen, we're exploring what happens when we stop trying to recreate nature and start designing with it.
That's the thinking behind VAYU, bringing living microalgae indoors and designing technology around what they already know how to do.
Sometimes, the best technology isn't new. It's nature, reimagined.
Written By :
Krisha Mehta, BD & Marketing Intern
