High rate algal biomass production for food, feed, biochemicals and biofuels

Increased population, shortage of fossil fuels and climatic changes constitute global challenges demanding actions and strategic planning for securing access of food, feed and energy supply in the future. Therefore, alternative biomass sources are needed. Algal biomass for production of food, feed, biochemicals and biofuels offers a great potential for meeting the future challenges. Algae possess numerous possibilities that have so far not been exploited. With the proposed project we are going to:
• Develop promising technologies for production of alginates, polyunsaturated fatty acids, β-carotene, and sterols that can be used as functional food.
• Develop technologies for production of pigments like fucoxanthin and other high value chemicals like chlorophyll a and c, beta-carotene and other xanthophylls from brown algae. Additionally, technologies for production of other high value chemicals such as vitamins, toxins, enzymes etc. will be developed.
• Develop technologies for utilisation of algae (both micro and macro algae) with high growth rates for biomass production for production of bioenergy (hydrogen, methane, ethanol, and biodiesel).
• Optimise algae cultivation conditions for increased biomass production, including development of a algae cultivation rotation system.
• A new concept integrating biofuel production with algae cultivation, based on recycling of CO2 from the exhaust gas from gas motors for autotrophic algae growth and recycling of process effluents as nutrients for promoting algal biomass growth will be developed.
• Develop an innovative bioflocculation method for sustainable harvesting of microalgae.
• Investigate algae as biofertilisers for promotion of rice, wheat growth.
• Evaluate the sustainabity of utilisation of algae for food, feed and biofuels production.