An international team from the United States and Italy has identified a previously undescribed cyanobacteria species that efficiently removes carbon dioxide from seawater. The finding broadens the toolkit of environmental microbiology and informs strategies for coastal carbon management, with results published in a peer‑reviewed science journal that covers aquatic carbon cycling and bioproduction.
Samples were collected off Vulcano, a small island in northern Sicily, where shallow volcanic vents continually release gases into the sea. These vents create pockets of carbon‑rich water that shape a microenvironment where unusual microbes thrive under high carbon loads. The study highlights how such natural settings can seed organisms with practical biotechnology potential.
A co‑author described the organism as naturally dense when it grows and prone to sinking, a combination that could simplify downstream processing in carbon capture pipelines and future biomanufacturing trials.
To encourage rapid growth, researchers reproduced the warm temperatures, bright light, and abundant carbon dioxide found near vent ecosystems in enriched cultures. In these conditions, two cyanobacteria strains emerged as fast growers: UTEX 3221 and UTEX 3222.
The team focused on UTEX 3222 because its single celled morphology makes it easier to compare with established cyanobacterial species used in current research. The comparison helps place this new strain within the broader taxonomy of photosynthetic bacteria.
UTEX 3222 formed larger colonies than the other fast‑growing strains, and individual cells were larger as well. Because of these traits, the scientists named the organism Chonkus, a term commonly translated as Fat Man in English.
The strain nicknamed Oily reached higher density and carried more total carbon content than the other strains studied.
Notably, Chonkus quickly formed a dense green peanut butter like precipitate that settled to the tube bottoms, whereas other strains stayed suspended. This tendency to settle is valuable for industry because concentrating biomass and drying it are major cost factors in current production pipelines.
Researchers envision Fat Man as a potential raw material for omega‑3 fatty acids, the antioxidant astaxanthin, and spirulina. If scaled, such a microalga could support biomanufacturing and carbon removal efforts at lower energy costs.
Overall, the findings underscore how coastal ecosystems influenced by volcanic activity can harbor organisms with practical applications. Ongoing investigations will explore optimal growth conditions, pigment production, and the interplay between cell size, density, and carbon capture efficiency to guide future pilot projects and environmental assessments.