The floating
aquatic fern “Azolla,”
magnified 80X

Water purification. Biofuel. Natural fertilizer. 30% edible protein. Precious oxygen in outer space. And nearly the fastest growing biomass of any plant. All made from a few inches of water and air.

We develop green solutions using the Azolla “superplant” for better agriculture, ecosystem remediation, carbon capture, and more. Worldwide.

one plant,
many
powers:

Water
purification

Azolla‘s heavy appetite for nitrogen, phosphorus, and heavy metals quickly removes these pollutants from water it grows in, leaving behind much cleaner water. The shade created by a layer of Azolla also eliminates algae and the liver-damaging and neurotoxic compounds that many algae produce.

Carbon
sequestration

Azolla’s extremely high top growth rates (doubling every 24-48 hrs) mean that the growing plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at high rates and trap the carbon in their new tissue. One hectare of Azolla can take up 6 tonnes of carbon dioxide in a year, and simply drying the plants will preserve this carbon indefinitely.

Green
fertilizer

because Azolla takes up high levels of nitrogen from air and phosphorus from water, harvested Azolla is rich in these nutrients, which are quickly released when Azolla is composted and added to soil, making a great low-tech replacement for synthetic fertilizers. Traditional uses of Azolla that simply add the plant to rice paddies can double rice harvest yields.

Biofuels

Azolla fronds contain 5-8% lipids, which are high-energy-content oils that can be processed to create biofuels. Because of Azolla’s extremely high yields, acre for acre, Azolla can produce more biofuel feedstock than soy or other land crops.

Livestock
feed

Azolla contains up to 30% protein with most of the essential amino acids. A nutritious feed for livestock, the soft, mild-flavored leaves are readily eaten raw by cattle, pigs, ducks, chickens, fish, and even shrimp. This makes Azolla a useful feed crop which even small farmers can grow in a small area using only a few inches of water, local soil, and dung.

Read The Book

The AZOLLA Story

Testimonial

“Well written and thoroughly researched, this book offers a comprehensive look at the incredible impact of Azolla in an engaging, exciting and informative manner – a must-read, both for professionals working in the sciences and anyone with an interest in nature, the environment, and the future of our planet.“

Josh M, United KIngdom

Buy The Book

AZOLLA
Global Team

USA Azolla Team Lead

Victor Leshyk

Victor is the founder of Azolla Biodesign. As a scientific artist, designer, and presenter, he has more than 20 years’ experience working with major museums, scientific journals, national labs, universities, publishers, and researchers worldwide. As a concept artist and illustrator, he contributes to research works, exhibit design, science video, interactive and educational outreach, and provides professional voiceover for television and film. His works can be found in National Parks, natural history museums, and accompanying science journalism across many subjects, from basic research in genomics and ecology to applied engineering, medicine, and sustainability. Currently, he is the Director of Science and Art at the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society at Northern Arizona University, working with top researchers in climate and carbon cycle modeling as well as nutrient cycling, permafrost, wildfire, and microbial ecology as related to climate change and society. He presents and speaks at diverse venues to promote a philosophy of art that increases science literacy.

Talking Points

AZOLLA INTERESTS: Design and experimentation to create built environment applications for azolla, outreach and innovation to promote azolla for remediation, agriculture, life support for space and bunker systems, environmental justice.

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LOCATION: Sedona, AZ, USA

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SKILLS: Biological Sciences , Design, Fabrication, and Applied Arts, Graphic Communications, Public Speaking and Outreach, Advertising, and Applied Communication , Data Visualization

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EDUCATION: Biological Sciences , Design, Fabrication, and Applied Arts, Graphic Communications, Public Speaking and Outreach, Advertising, and Applied Communication , Data Visualization

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WEBSITES: paleovista.com, victorleshyk.com

Azolla Founder

Meet Dr. Jonathan Bujak

Dr. Bujak is a paleontologist with 50 years’ experience, specializing in past and future climate change. He co-discovered the 49-million-year-old Arctic Azolla Event during the 2005 Arctic Coring Expedition and became intrigued by azolla’s potential as a formally designated unique superorganism to sequester atmospheric CO2. He therefore set up the Azolla Foundation and Azolla Biosystems Ltd in 2012 to disseminate information about azolla and implement its potential to mitigate today’s climate change.

Talking Points

AZOLLA INTERESTS: Azolla as a deep-past climate influence (Azolla Event), Azolla in agriculture, biofuel, water purification, space exploration and life support, carbon sequestration and environmental remediation / environmental justice

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LOCATION: Blackpool, United Kingdom

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AFFILIATIONS: Canadian Association of Palynologists Founding Member, The Azolla Foundation Founder, Azolla Biosystems Ltd CEO, Bujak Research International CEO

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EDUCATION: Sheffield University PhD Palaeontology/palynology, Sheffield University BSc hons, Geology

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SKILLS: Atmospheric Sciences , Geological and Earth Sciences, Oceanography, Plant Sciences, Sustainability Assessment, Sustainability Management, Sustainability Strategy

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WEBSITES: websites: theazollafoundation.org, azollabiosystems.co.uk

Azolla Co-Founder

Meet Lexy Bujak

Alexandra Bujak is an Environmental Scientist who has studied and published on azolla for more than 15 years and released ‘The Azolla Story’ in December 2020, Lexy set up the Azolla Foundation & Azolla Biosystems Ltd after graduation to promote azolla’s many uses, including carbon capture and storage, biofertilizer, animal fodder, biofuel, and water purification. She is working with Azolla Biodesign to help the global transition to sustainability by incorporating azolla into current and future technologies.

Talking Points

AZOLLA INTERESTS: Azolla as a deep-past climate influence (Azolla Event), Azolla in agriculture, biofuel, water purification, space exploration and life support, carbon sequestration and environmental remediation / environmental justice

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LOCATION: Blackpool, United Kingdom

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AFFILIATIONS: Azolla Biosystems CEO/Founder

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SKILLS: Biological Sciences , Geological and Earth Sciences, Soil Science and Agronomy , Sustainability Assessment, Sustainability Management, Sustainability Strategy

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WEBSITES: theazollafoundation.org, azollabiosystems.co.uk

Azolla TEAM MEMBER

Meet Timo Stadtlander

Timo is a senior researcher at the Institute of Organic Agriculture in Switzerland focussing on animal nutrition (especially fish), nutrient cycling, organic and sustainable aquaculture and fish welfare.

Talking Points

AZOLLA INTERESTS: Working with Azolla Biodesign on azolla-duckweed co-culture concepts, Timo brings expertise working with duckweed as a high-performance phytoremediator of animal waste in experimental aquaculture systems, as well as a means for biomass carbon sequestration.

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LOCATION: Frick, Switzerland

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EDUCATION: University of Bremen Dipl. Biol. (MSc)

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SKILLS: Animal Sciences, Natural Resources Research, Research

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WEBSITE: https://www.fibl.org/en EMAIL: timo.stadtlander@fibl.org

Azolla TEAM MEMBER

Meet Dr. Bruce Hungate

Bruce Hungate conducts research on microbial ecology of global change from the cell to the planet. He uses a variety of research tools, including empirical experiments, molecular biology, meta-analysis and modeling, and stable isotopes. His work examines the imprint of the diversity of life on the cycling of elements, how ecosystems respond to and shape environmental change, and microbial ecology of the biosphere, from soils to hot springs to humans.

Talking Points

AZOLLA INTERESTS: As a carbon accounting expert working between field experiments, carbon cycle modeling, and stable isotope methods to study soil microbial metabolism, Dr. Hungate offers a systems biology view of optimizing azolla as a means for biomass carbon sequestration.

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LOCATION: Flagstaff AZ, USA

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EDUCATION: Stanford University BS, Biological Sciences, Stanford University BA, Music and English

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WEBSITES: https://hungate-lab.nau.edu

Azolla TEAM MEMBER

Meet Dr. Kliti Grice

Kliti Grice is an internationally renowned organic geochemist. She has a PhD from the University of Bristol UK and is a Professor of Organic and Isotope Geochemistry at Curtin University (Perth, Australia) and is the Founding Director of WA-Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre. A Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, she has mentored more than 38 PhD scholars and published over 220 international journal publications.

Talking Points

AZOLLA INTERESTS: Dr Grice’s interests in azolla include examining the microbial community, geochemistry, and water conditions that foster giant spontaneous “blooms” of azolla colonies in the environment

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LOCATION: Perth, Western Australia

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EDUCATION: PhD from the University of Bristol UK

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WEBSITES: http://wa-oigc.curtin.edu.au/

Azolla TEAM MEMBER

Meet Dr. Richard Rushforth

Dr. Rushforth is a data scientist with a background in environmental science, specializing in tracing carbon, energy, cost, and water footprints for industry and agriculture. His work was the foundation for the ambitious FEWSION project (https://fewsion.us/about/), an interactive tool for mapping supply chains as well as food, energy, and water networks across the US to assist with optimization, sustainability, and risk assessment

Talking Points

AZOLLA INTERESTS: Helping Azolla Biodesign to envision and calculate viable carbon, energy, and water footprints as well as supply chains and Life Cycle Analyses to support designed environment uses for azolla in remediation and agriculture.

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LOCATION: Phoenix AZ, USA

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EDUCATION: Stanford University BS, Biological Sciences, Stanford University BA, Music and English

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WEBSITES: https://hungate-lab.nau.edu

Azolla TEAM MEMBER

Meet Alan Marshall

As a retired medical professional, Alan has designed and operated productive greywater systems using azolla for many years to support his sustainable homestead in Tasmania. As a citizen-scientist, he has generously shared observations and records to assist design concepts

Talking Points

AZOLLA INTERESTS: Azolla cultivation for greywater treatment.

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LOCATION: Hobart, Australia

CONTRIBUTING
Azolla TEAM MEMBERs

Meet Hridya Viday

AZOLLA INTERESTS: As a doctoral student supporting Dr. Grice’s work with azolla, Hridya works with lab mesocosms using recovered sediments to cultivate azolla harvested from spontaneous “blooms” in the field.

Kara Gibson

AZOLLA INTERESTS: As a soil researcher, doctoral student, and science artist, Kara supports experimental reporting and calculations underlying our current projects and concepts.

Join the AZOLLA Revolution:

Global Azolla Installations

Tons of Annual CO2 Reduced

Barrels of Biofuel Produced

Timeline

Azolla History

Dr Jonathan Bujak is a palaeontologist who has spent 40 years studying climate change in the Arctic. He was involved with the only two expeditions to core sediments beneath the North Pole – the 1979 Lomonosov Ridge Experiment (LOREX) and the 2004 Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX) which discovered the 50 million year old Arctic Azolla Event.

The Azolla Story was written by a father and daughter who care deeply about the future of our planet, including that of our children and our cousins, the other species who share our beautiful world. They published The Azolla Story as an ebook in December 2020.

It is available on Kindle at Amazon, along with the NEW 2022 Print Edition »