Microalgal biotechnology
Photosynthetic microorganisms use a direct route to convert inorganic carbon into functional molecules while employing sunlight. Our mission is to develop a commercial and sustainable production chain for food, feed, chemistry and energy from microalgae and cyanobacteria.
We integrate biological and engineering studies of cellular processes, work on strain improvement, cultivation optimization and scale-up. We bridge fundamental research to applications in outdoor pilot facilities of AlgaePARC and use techno-economic models to assess and guide our research program.
Our mission
Develop sustainable processes for cost effective and sustainable conversion of sunlight into functional products by photosynthetic microorganisms.
Research topics
- Design of phototrophic bioprocesses
- Industrial strains: Metabolic engineering and strain improvement
- Techno-Economic and Energy analysis
Expertise
- Photobioreactor design
- Metabolic engineering
- Bioprocess design
Projects
Monitoring and control of large-scale microalgae cultures
A microalgae culture that grows well in the lab might not perform as well in larger systems, and problems often appear when cultivation is scaled up. However, scaling up microalgae production is essential to reduce costs and ensure commercial applications and bulk production. To achieve this, we need a better understanding of how microalgae grow in large-scale systems. In this project, we study tubular photobioreactors up to 1700 liters and develop monitoring systems to track microalgal growth and metabolic indicators in real time. Based on these observations, we design and test control approaches to optimize and automate operation. This work promotes improved efficiency and automation in industrial microalgal cultivation.
Contact persons: Luca Buscaglia and Marcel Janssen
Partners: LOCALITY consortium
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Research themes
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