Neutralising Pollution
by Bioremediation

River systems around the world are being polluted by excess industrial fertilizer, containing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), causing serious ecological damage.

Bioremediation restores the balance and biodiversity.

Excess usage of fertiliser pollutes river systems with too much phosphorus and nitrogen.

Widespread use of fertilizers in agriculture and unplanned urbanization lacking wastewater treatment are important sources of phosphorus and nitrogen in rivers​

1010 Solutions selectively cultivates the dominant native diatom/microalgae species of a river system​​

By using pollutants as nutrients for growth, microalgae capture and fix carbon dioxide (through photosynthesis), and remove other toxic pollutants such as heavy metals.​

Microalgae have a rapid growth rate in highly polluted water, growing >2x per day leveraging rivers as a bioreactor​

As microalgae grow, they release oxygen into the river, improving low-oxygen zones while treating water​

1010 Solutions cultivates diatoms/microalgae that start sinking​
once pollutant density is too low for replication​

1010 Solutions microalgae sink into the riverbed​

Deposition of clay, silt, sand, pebbles, and organic matter in the riverbed help to deeply bury microalgae​

1010 Solutions periodically collect water and sediment samples from the river to monitor the bioremediation process and validate & verify water quality and pollutant removal

1010 Solutions shares results with auditors and regulatory agencies

1010’s Microalgae platform attacks pollutants through targeted algal replication to remove CO2, Nitrogen, Phosphorus​

Microalgae growth after release​

1 kg of 1010’s microalgae (doubling for 30 days in polluted waters)​
per month​
can sequester​
CO2 for 1M+ years,
equivalent to ​
30,000 trees​
per month​

1010 Solutions has integrated the Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) approved by the United Nations in September 2015 into its business strategy and vision. Microalgal biotechnology supports the achievement of these SDGs by:

Main Goals

Goal 6

Microalgae has the ability to remediate polluted water biologically, promoting water quality through nutrient, heavy metals and other pollutants removal.
Enhance solar UV- mediated pathogen disinfection in cultivation ponds, driven by the high dissolved oxygen and pH.
Emerging contaminant bioremediation through biosorption, bioaccumulation, or biodegradation of the contaminants of concern.
Mitigate eutrophication in water bodies through nutrient uptake by microalgae, attempting to protect biodiversity and restore water-related ecosystems.

Goal 13

Microalgae effectively capture and fix atmospheric CO2 due to their high photosynthetic efficiency, mitigating GHGs emissions. Microalgae biological carbon sequestration is a promising and sustainable technology to address global warming and climate change.

Goal 14

Microalgae have a significant impact on the bioremediation of diffuse pollution and eutrophication mitigation, reducing nutrient pollution and increasing water oxygenation in water bodies and improving aquatic habitats and ecosystem resilience.
Microalgae has the ability to reduce microplastic pollution in water bodies.
Microalgae technology helps preserve aquatic ecosystems by using techniques to biomonitor water quality and clean contaminated water.

Goal 17

The success of the in-situ application of this microalgae technology is strongly linked to the collaboration and partnerships between multi-stakeholder groups, policy- and decision-makers.
1010 Solutions also supports these goals:

Goal 2

Microalgae can grow in wastewater, not competing for agricultural farms with crop production.
Arable lands are not required for microalgae cultivation, having a positive impact towards land use and occupation.

Goal 3

Microalgae can be utilized for reducing water pollution by nutrient uptake and contaminants removal. Accordingly, the number of illnesses from water pollution would be decreased.

Goal 8

The operation and maintenance of microalgal cultivation systems and facilities can be easily performed by local staff, providing job opportunities.

FAQ

Why do we need to remove Nitrogen and Phosphorus from rivers?
Nitrogen and phosphorus are invisible pollutants that can cause harmful algal growth in rivers, leading to the death of fish and other animals. These pollutants can also lead to conditions that cause health issues in humans.
How do microalgae capture and remove pollutants and how can we measure it?
Microalgae are microscopic aquatic organisms that convert CO2 into biomass and oxygen using sunlight. Microalgae use nitrogen and phosphorus as nutrients for growth. After the microalgae grow, the cells sink, and algal biomass is deposited and accumulated in the riverbed. By sampling and measuring microalgae biomass, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the water and at the river sediments, we can determine pollutant removal efficiency.
Which are the effects of spreading microalgae directly in the natural ecosystem?
We only operate in polluted rivers using river-native species. Bioaugmentation with native species contributes to restoring the original dominance of river native microalgae. We use neither genetic engineering nor invasive species. We mitigate eutrophication in water bodies through nutrient uptake by microalgae, attempting to protect biodiversity and restore water-related ecosystems.  
More information can be found in Xu et al. 2020 and Tréguer et al. 2017.
I read about algal blooms in rivers to be harmful, is this a risk?
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are the cause of a variety of ecological issues and HABs require nitrogen and phosphorus to thrive. We remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water with native algal species that do not cause these ecological issues, reducing the prevalence of HABs.
What biotechnology did 1010 Solutions develop? Are these patent families available to license?
We have developed a series of patent families related to microalgae-based pollution removal. These technologies are being used by projects in a variety of global markets. If you are interested in licensing these technologies, please reach out.
What river conditions are necessary be good candidate for 1010 Solutions?
The primary criteria is excess nitrogen and phosphorous levels, usually caused by run off from local farming activities.
Do microalgae affect drinking water quality?
We improve water quality by removing pollutants from the water column. Additionally, most microalgae will sink to the riverbed without having a negative impact on drinking water quality.
What happens if diatoms are consumed by bacteria, zooplankton and other microorganisms?

Grazing is normal in any ecosystem and it is necessary for ecosystem balance. The effect of grazing on diatoms varies and depends on each ecosystem. One important protection mechanism on diatoms is their silicified (mineral) cell wall that provides mechanical protection from grazers. Moreover, diatoms may have a defence mechanism against grazing releasing inhibitory compounds for zooplankton, thereby prolonging diatom blooms and reducing grazing pressure.
More information can be found in Sarthou et al. 2005, Tréguer et al. 2017, and Hammet al. 2003.
Potential of diatoms to outcompete other microalgae groups
Diatoms have adapted over time to grow under a variety of environmental conditions which are often detrimental to other microalgae. Moreover, diatom dominance over other algae can be linked to their silica-based cell wall, which needs less energy to build than cellulose cell walls, resulting in a higher division rate. Diatoms a high nutrient uptake efficiency and a higher rate of nutrient utilization in comparison to other microalgae groups. In addition, the efficiency of light conversion into biomass is twice as high in diatoms. When analysing plankton–plankton interactions, diatoms emerged as the only group of phytoplankton with a large exclusion signal towards other planktonic groups, implying their ability to successfully outcompete congeners. More information can be found in Tréguer et al. 2017, Kiran Marella et al. 2020, and Thomas et al. 1978.
Negative effects of Eutrophication, which we are actively reducing by applying our technology
Main negative impacts include harmful algae blooms (HABs) creation; dissolved oxygen depletion; mass mortality of benthic species and fish mortality due to anoxic/hypoxic conditions; and more CH4 emissions.

More information can be found in Yunev et al. 2007 and Xu et al. 2020.
Benefits of microalgae-based bioremediation
-       Cost-effective technology
-       Improve water quality
-       Removal of trace pollutants
-       No waste generation and low environmental impact
-       Simplicity of operation and maintenance
-       Integrated into the landscape
-       Water oxygenation
-       Recovery of degraded river-estuary systems 
​-       Ecological, social and economic benefits for communities and local areas where the technology is applied 

1010: Neutralising Pollution

At 1010 Solutions we made it our mission
to build the best water-positive biotechnology for the planet

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We are always looking for bright minds and enthusiastic people from diverse backgrounds, who want to be part of an outstanding team working on an important mission. Even if you don’t find a suitable position below, please do not hesitate to drop us your resume. We value mission-driven motivation.

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1010: Neutralising Pollution

At 1010 Solutions we made it our mission
to build the best water-positive biotechnology for the planet