Seven years ago, the first algae-powered building attempted to establish an energy system capable of addressing multiple environmental challenges through the power of biohybrid technology. The Bio Intelligent Quotient (B.I.Q.) building was first completed back in 2013 in Hamburg, Germany by design and engineering firm Arup, which was also the mastermind behind the famous Centre Pompidou and the Sydney Opera House. Biohybrid buildings are still a relatively unique response to the growing problem of high energy consumption and air pollution. However, in 2009, the International Building Exhibition gave birth to the idea of designing structures that were themselves carbon neutral, self-sustaining, and renewably powered.
The B.I.Q. house is a 15-story concrete apartment building whose facade is wrapped in algae biomass. This biomass is produced within a “photo bioreactor,” or additional transparent outer panels that are attached onto the sides of the building and supply the structure with electricity. These bioreactors are filled with water and pumped with liquid nutrients and carbon dioxide for the algae to grow, as well as to prevent them from rotting. It’s these bioreactor panels that generate the energy that powers the structure.
The building uses a “holistic energy approach,” meaning that it integrates a variety of renewable energy sources to generate energy. According to the engineers, it combines the likes of “solar energy, geothermal energy, a condensing boiler, district heating, and the production of biomass.”
The panels act as solar thermal collectors by collecting the light that isn’t used by the algae, which is then converted into heat using heat exchangers. According to one of the chief designers Jan Wurm, this heat can be used for hot water or be stored in the building’s underground geothermal system. In addition to this, the algae will also be occasionally collected and transplanted every three to four weeks in tanks where they will undergo fermentation to produce methane gas or biofuel. This methane gas will be used later to generate electricity.
“The generated power would be carbon-neutral,” explained Wurm. This fermentation process is facilitated by a local energy company that harvests and transports the biomass to a combined heat and power plant. However, Wurm envisions on-site power plants for the B.I.Q. in the future that will be capable of performing this themselves.
The concept of the B.I.Q. building was to create Smart Material Houses that would “combine adaptable structural design with smart technologies and building materials.” The B.I.Q. concept won the International Building Exhibition and has inspired other studies on algae as an alternative source of renewable energy for buildings.
While the B.I.Q. project remains one of a kind, it remains a significant work in the use of algae bioreactors.
For more information, visit http://biq-wilhelmsburg.de/energiekreislauf-energiekonzept-html/.
For more news and stories, check out the case for harvesting energy from human movement here.