Project Azolla-Grid proposes a modular, infrastructure-grade system that converts data-center waste heat and controlled carbon dioxide streams into measurable biomass outputs using a fully contained biological medium. The system reframes biological activity as a thermally coupled conversion process, not agriculture or environmental release, enabling deployment adjacent to hyperscale computing facilities. At its core, Azolla-Grid functions as a biological thermal sink module: low-grade waste heat from data-center cooling loops is passively transferred into sealed conversion vessels, where a non-GMO aquatic plant medium assimilates heat and carbon dioxide into nitrogen-rich biomass. The primary function is thermal regulation and heat rejection support; biomass production and carbon assimilation arise as secondary, auditable outputs. A real-time digital twin models mass balance across heat input, CO₂ flow, water usage, and biomass growth, enabling continuous verification rather than retrospective estimation. This architecture allows carbon assimilation and water performance to be treated as measured infrastructure signals, aligning with emerging 24/7 carbon-free energy and water-positive accounting frameworks. Azolla-Grid is explicitly designed as industrial process equipment: it operates within a sealed or controlled envelope, requires no soil interface, avoids groundwater contact, and relies on deliberate biomass removal with full chain-of-custody. The system does not depend on genetic modification, open biological release, or environmental remediation claims. By transforming unavoidable waste heat into a governed conversion pathway, Azolla-Grid positions hyperscale facilities as passive ESG utilities, reducing cooling parasitics while producing verifiable environmental metrics. The project focuses on classification, measurement, and governance logic rather than organism novelty, enabling early publication and pre-deployment evaluation without assuming universal regulatory clearance.Commercial evaluation permitted. Derivative works require explicit author consent.
Kuoch et al. (Tue,) studied this question.