Terrestrial ecosystems draw about 123 billion tonnes of carbon (450 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, CO2) from the atmosphere each year. Based on worldwide local measurements and data-driven model simulations, an international team of researchers led by Christian Beer of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena has for the first time provided an observation-based estimate of the largest global flux of carbon between land and atmosphere and of its climate dependencies.
The researchers evaluated the result against spatially explicit process models including the leading model LPJmL from PIK. Tropical ecosystems such as rain forests and savannas account for almost two thirds of the CO2 uptake, they report in an article published by the journal …

Green vehicles refer to vehicles with low or no emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
The different types of green vehicles are mostly ones that use alternative energy sources either wholly or partly instead of the fossil fuel. Alternative energy refers to non-petroleum products such as electricity, alcohol, biodiesel, hydrogen, liquefied natural gas and petroleum gas, liquids made from coal and compressed natural gas. There are electric vehicles that mostly use less fuel. They are considered to be more efficient in comparison to fuel-cell powered vehicles. However, fuel-cell powered vehicles are more popular since they consume less petrol making them cheaper to manage. They emit less carbon dioxide in to the air as compared to …

KIT ‘algae platform’ develops efficient photoreactors and novel cell decomposition methods
In view of the shortage of petrochemical resources and climate change, development of CO2-neutral sustainable fuels is one of the most urgent challenges of our times.
Energy plants like rape or oil palm are being discussed fervently, as they may also be used for food production. Hence, cultivation of microalgae may contribute decisively to tomorrow’s energy supply. For energy production from microalgae, KIT scientists are developing closed photo-bioreactors and novel cell disruption methods.
Microalgae are monocellular, plant-like organisms engaged in photosynthesis and converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into biomass. From this biomass, both potential resources and active substances as well as fuels like biodiesel may be produced. While …