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Fig.09-min

Solutions...

are needed for algal industries to maximise productivities and quality at lowest costs possible. Cost factors are labour and production losses due to contaminations. AlgaeSolutions develops prototypes to speed-up scale-up, to detect contaminants and to maximise quality. Finally, five products ready for the market will be developed.

Contaminations...

can destroy whole production batches and must be detected as early as possible to apply mitigation strategies.

Method development for contaminant detection

Task 1.1

Detect five common contaminants

Samples from industrial production systems in different seasons will be analysed microscopically to visually identify most common contaminants.

Development of a contaminant detection methodology

Task 1.2

Find a rapid detection method

Samples from T1.1. will be analysed by molecular tools such as Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A protocol for early detection of contaminants will be developed.

Three target algae

Phaeodactylum tricornutum 

Diatom rich in DHA and contains the high-value pigment fucoxanthin, which may prevent obesity and other chronic diseases

Nannochloropsis sp.​

Marine microalga, rich in EPA and the pigments lutein and violaxanthin, which have antioxidant activity and are important for human vision

Porphyra sp.

The famous seaweed/macroalga Nori (common name for Porphyra) is rich in phycobiliproteins, mycosporine-like amino acids (MAA) and EPA which have antioxidant activities

Light quality for algae growth

Task 2.1

Find the right combination of light colour & light intensity

The photosynthetic oxygen evolution will be measured in cultures of P. tricornutum, Nannochloropsis sp. and Porphyra sp. inside a photosynthetic chamber. A total of 22 different red, blue and green LEDs combinations will be tested at three different light intensities (50, 100 and 500 µmol s-1 m-2) and biomass concentrations (0.2, 2 and 5 g L-1).

Flashing light effects on biochemical composition

Task 2.2

Find the right flashing light condition and exposure time to induce target compounds.

Self-made LED modules with monochromatic (e.g., blue, red or green) or multichromatic LEDs will emit low-frequency flashing light to algal cultures. The effect on polyunsaturated fatty acids, pigments and specific amino acids (MAAs) will be quantified.

Technology development: Scale-up system (LEDsScale)

Task 3.1

To develop a high-performing scale-up system for algae cultures

A 200-L scale-up photobioreactor for algae will be developed. This “LEDsScale” system will use state-of-the-art LED technologies to emit the desired light

Technology development: Scale-up system (LEDsScale)

Task 3.1

To develop a high-performing scale-up system for algae cultures

To reach the highest performance of the LEDsScale system at minimum energy consumption, a smart automatism will be engineered to process the outputs of the sensors, control air and CO2 flow, valves and light supply.

Technology development: Biomass valorisation (LEDsInduce) 

Task 3.2

To develop a biocompound induction system for algae cultures

Flat panels will be equipped with 21 LED strips with low electric consumption. The induction of pigments and PUFA will be achieved in only 48h and will lead to high quality biomass.

Technology development: Rapid assay kit (CleanCulture) 

Task 3.3

To develop a contamination detection kit

One or several molecular kits will be developed in cooperation with Identifica. This will enable early detection of contaminants providing producers the opportunity to apply mitigation measures that avoid culture collapse. This will provide an economic and user friendly detection solution for providers without the need for expensive infrastructure.

Development and validation of products 

Task 4

Products: LEDsInduce, LEDsScale & CleanCulture 

The combination of the LEDsScale and LEDsInduce technologies and the CleanCulture product will be deployed at two algal production companies, Allmicroalgae and ALGAplus to validate and evaluate the technical and economical product aspects.

Project management & dissemination 

Task 5 & 6

Keep informed

The last Tasks deal with the management of the project and the promotion of the project to scientific and industrial communities
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A strong team behind

The Algaesolutions partners joined forces to tackle the same challenges TOGETHER:

Technologies for algae industries

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Promotor
Develop LED-based bioreactors
GreenCoLab wants to improve microalgal cultivation by  LED-based technologies and by fighting industrial contaminants. 
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1st partner
Optimise microalgae production
Allmicroalgae wants to improve growth and biomass quality of P. tricornutum and Nannochloropsis sp. using the clean culture kit and LED-based reactors.
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2nd partner
Optimise macroalgae production
ALGAplus wants to improve growth and quality of Porphyra cultures using the clean culture kit and LED-based reactors.
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3rd Partner
Develop early detection kits
University of Algarve wants to identify industrial contaminants of microalgae and contribute to the development of a detection kit.