BioBombola is an educational grow-your-own edible algae set for children developed by architecture and research practice EcoLogicStudio during the coronavirus pandemic.
The DIY kit can be used by families at home to cultivate a strain of Spirulina ? a type of blue-green algae ? that can be harvested and added to food and drinks as a source of protein.

BioBombola includes a one-metre-tall glass container called a photobioreactor, a 15-litre starter batch of spirulina cells, and a culture medium ? a liquid or gel designed to support the growth of microorganisms ? full of nutrients.
The kit also comes with a system of pipes and a pump to move air through the medium.

EcoLogicStudio founders Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto invented BioBombola to keep their children entertained while they homeschooled them during the coronavirus lockdown in London. "The kids love harvesting Spirulina," said Pasquero.
"We make vegetable protein bread every week with it now. Spirulina has quite a sharp taste, somewhere between grass and nuts."

Growing the algae is an interactive lesson in photosynthesis, air pollution and sustainable food-growing methods.
The kit can absorb the equivalent of "two young trees" in carbon dioxide, said EcoLogicStudio, and releases the same amount of oxygen as "seven houseplants".

Children can help to harvest the algae multiple times a week, collecting up to seven grams of Spirulina a day.

The harvesting is done by using ...