Step into this lab, and the first thing that catches your eye is colour: blue-green and emerald test tubes glinting under soft, artificial light. In one corner, a researcher peers into a flask swirling with river scum collected from the Pampa and Achencoil rivers. Across the room, another one studies a petri dish of terrestrial algae gathered from the dense forests of Wayanad.
“We have about a hundred strains of algae in our stock,” says Binoy T. Thomas, Head of the Department of Botany at Catholicate College, Pathanamthitta, and the lead investigator at its Phycotechnology laboratory here. “If required, we can produce the biomass needed for industrial applications like food production, cosmetics, even medicines.”
Supported by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), the Phycotechnology lab is a unique facility that has rapidly become a hub for algal research.
According to Dr. Thomas, algae are commanding growing global attention, and for good reason. “Certain strains could be the future of food,” he explains. They can grow on arid land or in brackish water and they consume vast amounts of carbon dioxide, helping to reduce greenhouse gas levels.
At present, the laboratory has undertaken two major research projects with funding from the KSCSTE and the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DoECC). The first explores the systematics and ecology of epiphyllous algae , which grow on leaf surfaces, across different vegetation types in Pathanamthitta district. The second investigates Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Achencoil and Pampa rivers and their tributaries.
Beyond research, the lab serves as a living repository of algal cultures, supporting both study and conservation. Its team has already made taxonomic contributions by identifying 10 new algal species and documenting 28 new records from Kerala.
Their curiosity goes even further. The Phycotechnology team recently published an international study on the nutritional potential of soil green microalgae from the Western Ghats, showcasing their promise as sustainable food supplements. The lab also unraveled one of Kerala’s intriguing environmental phenomena called the red rain by identifying Trentepohlia, a carotenoid-rich alga, as the biological source behind the crimson-colored rainfall.
The lab’s expertise also extends to environmental monitoring and freshwater ecosystem management. A study published in Indian Hydrobiology (2020) documented the first recorded outbreak of harmful algal blooms in the Achenkovil River after the 2019 floods. The bloom, dominated by the toxin-producing alga Euglena, caused a visible discolouration of the river. Researchers traced the phenomenon to nutrient enrichment from post-flood agricultural runoff and waste discharge.
Published – November 11, 2025 07:38 pm IST
