Marine microalgae enriched in carbohydrates for concomitant nutrient recycling and green chemicals production

Research Project, 2014 – 2016

For displacement of fossil resources in a bio-based society there is a need for carbon-neutral raw material in the production of chemicals for biofuels, bulk, and high-value products. This project aims at using marine Chlorella algae to provide starch-containing biomass as substrate for bio-based production of chemicals. Biomass will be obtained by microalgal cultivation using nutrients from waste material, like wastewater as macronutrient support and flue gas as source of carbon dioxide, allowing for nutrient recycling. The work will be divided into four parts by identification of suitable microalgal strains and waste material, by studying the influence of cultivation parameters on algal growth and cellular content, and by evaluating fermentability of hydrolysed algal biomass. Effects of process conditions (temperature, pH and illumination) and nutrient and CO2 supply by waste material on cellular response and composition will be evaluated. Assessments will be done at well-defined conditions in bioreactors by thoroughly following the response of algae with measurements of growth, gas exchange, cellular composition, and metabolomics. The development of optimized starch-containing algal biomass as a base for biotechnological production will contribute to fulfill the need of sustainable bio-production with the reuse and recycling of material, cleaning of waste, reduction in demand on the world?s freshwater reservoirs, and simultaneous production of usable raw material.