• @[email protected]
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    128 months ago

    Wouldn’t it be more efficient to use algae for that and stuff the slime directly in the borehole?

    • @[email protected]
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      118 months ago

      Possible not, you need to maintain the growth conditions for the algae, that has some meaningful energy cost.

        • @Aleric
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          118 months ago

          I actually helped research this as an undergrad. The problem we’d always face is there are certain microorganisms, like rotifers, that can just decimate a tank of algae. Many rotifer species are parthenogenic, so it literally only takes one rotifer to knock out an entire algae tank.

          • @[email protected]
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            18 months ago

            What if we genetically modified the algae to be impossible to kill and survive in extreme conditions. Like the algae equivalent of kudzu.

            • runefehay
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              68 months ago

              Now coming to everyone soon: algae world! All algae all the time! Covered in slime? That’s worth a dime! There is no escaping it, not even a bit.

              • @[email protected]
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                28 months ago

                It’ll be fine.

                If it gets out of hand we’ll just engineer an equally hardy and aggressive rotifer to kill all the algae.

            • AutistoMephisto
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              38 months ago

              You’re basically exchanging a world-ending Gray Goo Scenario for a world-ending Green Goo Scenario.