ABSORB aims to establish new biotechnologies for atmospheric carbon draw-down by harnessing the unique biology of Arctic biomes
Rising atmospheric carbon concentrations affect health, economy and overall quality of life globally, yet our Arctic region is experiencing some of the most severe and rapid changes. UiT (in northern Norway) is therefore at the forefront of the ‘climate change battlefield’. We have reached the understanding that global warming cannot be stopped by simply reducing emissions. New innovation for carbon capture, sequestration and utilization (CCSU) is mandated for reaching our net-zero sustainability goal. Sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere is the goal, yet new value chains that promote UN sustainable development goals can simultaneously be realized if the carbon is channeled into marine and terrestrial biomass. ABSORB´s dual focus on both marine and terrestrial systems enables us to exploit the unique potential of Arctic regions.
ABSORB is divided into four work packages:
Work Package 1: Carbon capture biotechnology inspired from Arctic marine microbiomes
Main Objective: Engineer Arctic marine microbial communities for uptake of CH4 and CO2 and the controlled synthesis of bio-product value chains
Work Package 2: Carbon capture biotechnology inspired from Arctic plant-soil biomes
Main Objective: Identify and harness plant-microbe communities for remediation and draw-down of atmospheric carbon
Work Package 3: Advancing multi-omics capabilities
Main Objective: Cultivation, Genomics, Metabolomics
Work Package 4: Capacity development for imaging and characterization of Arctic biomass
Main Objective: Build advanced monitoring and hyperspectral imaging systems for qualitative and quantitative analysis of CO2 capture and biomass growth