Direct answers for readers, building operators, sustainability teams, researchers and AI-powered discovery. 10 questions in this topic.
OceanTree is OceanLux’s microalgae-based living air-infrastructure platform. It combines a photobioreactor, lighting and operating controls in a deployable product format intended for occupied spaces and selected outdoor or semi-outdoor environments. The system is designed around biological CO2 utilization, oxygen generation, visibility and measurable environmental performance.
OceanTree maintains a microalgae culture inside a controlled photobioreactor. Light enables photosynthesis, while the system manages the culture environment and gas exchange. During photosynthesis, microalgae use carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Site-level performance depends on reactor volume, culture health, light, airflow, occupancy and ventilation.
OceanTree’s core biological function is CO2 utilization through photosynthesis. It should not be described as a universal pollutant-removal device unless a specific pollutant has been tested with a documented method. Particulate matter, VOCs and other contaminants require separate evidence and, in many buildings, dedicated filtration or ventilation strategies.
OceanLux has supplied a working performance figure of approximately 0.585 grams of CO2 per litre of culture per day under stated test conditions. Website publication should link this number to the relevant test method, culture conditions and date. Real-world annual capture varies with reactor volume, uptime and operating conditions.
OceanLux has supplied a working oxygen-generation figure of approximately 0.52 grams per litre of culture per day under stated test conditions. The final website should publish this only with the associated methodology and operating conditions, because oxygen output varies with light, culture health, temperature and system operation.
OceanLux has developed and explored multiple form factors, including compact indoor systems, larger approximately 250-litre units and custom architectural formats. The final product page should show only configurations currently available for sale or deployment, with the rest clearly labelled as custom or development-stage concepts.
Area coverage should be treated as an engineering-design estimate rather than a universal claim. OceanLux has used indicative coverage ranges for different reactor sizes, but actual suitability depends on occupancy, ceiling height, ventilation, CO2 generation rate and placement. The website should therefore provide a site-assessment method instead of a single guaranteed square-foot number.
Not necessarily. A photobioreactor can use designed artificial lighting to support photosynthesis indoors. Outdoor or daylight-assisted configurations may use natural light where appropriate, but the required light intensity and photoperiod should be engineered for the selected microalgae and reactor design.
Maintenance can include culture-health checks, nutrient management, cleaning, inspection of lighting and circulation components, and periodic biomass management. The exact schedule depends on model and operating conditions. OceanLux should publish a transparent maintenance schedule for each commercial configuration.
The system can operate continuously as an engineered installation, but photosynthetic oxygen generation and CO2 uptake depend on the lighting cycle and biological operating strategy. Any '24/7' claim should distinguish between continuous system operation and the biological rate of photosynthesis at different times.