Novel scientific ideas can be thwarted, at least initially, by technical limitations.  While concepts may make sense in theory, the successful application of the theoretical may remain out of reach.

Additionally, ideas borne out of an attempt to solve one problem in science and engineering may be repurposed by others in an attempt to solve a different problem.

These outcomes are not mutually exclusive.  An example of each of these outcomes is apparent with the use of microalgae in the recycling of carbon dioxide.  Initially visualized mid-twentieth century as applicable to space travel, late twentieth and early twenty-first century applications have branched off to global warming remediation. To date, neither technology has become fully realized or applied as researchers have hoped.

Chlorella vulgaris algae
ja:User:NEON / User:NEON_ja, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The pursuit of these parallel technologies is ongoing, and are two related but separate stories worth recounting.  In the left-hand menu are two links, Algae in Bioregenerative Life Support, and Algae in Biological Carbon Sequestration, that take the reader to the appropriate section. The Bioregenerative Life Support story is best read first, as it begins sooner chronologically, and proves to be the launching pad for the idea of Biological Carbon Sequestration.