Coupling the cultivation of microalgae with agricultural biogas production
Biogas2Algae
Description
Biogas production by anaerobic digestion is an established technology that allows farmers to generate more income from biomass waste and closing nutrient cycles. These synergies can be extended even further if microalgal cultivation is added to produce algae-based bioproducts. The side-products of biogas production, namely CO2, waste heat, and digestate, are used to increase culture productivity and lower production costs. Products from microalgae, such as feed and feed additives, can again be used in the agricultural sector, which closes material cycles and extends the value chain for the biogas operator.We propose to take this synergistic approach a step further and focus on issues, which so far have received less attention. Is it possible to produce biomass of sufficient quality so that it can be used as feed or feed additive? To this end, we take advantage of our large in-house photobioreactor to scale up laboratory experiments and test, whether microalgal biomass of feed-grade quality can be produced while relying on the above mentioned side products. We also investigate to what degree pests and contaminations affect the robustness of continuous cultivation and what measures can be applied to stabilize it. Furthermore, we will determine whether waste heat can be used to prolong the cultivation season in a Swiss climate. Finally, the legal aspects of producing algae-based feed will be researched and documented.This project is carried out in the framework of the European COST Action ES1408 EUALGAE and financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The PhD student carrying out the project is employed by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and enrolled at the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne.
Key Data
Projectlead
Project team
Prof. Dr. Urs Baier, Prof. Dr. Christian Ludwig, Adrian Pulgarin
Project partners
Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne EPFL
Project status
completed, 04/2016 - 04/2019
Funding partner
COST Action / ES1408 - EUALGAE; COST / Projekt Nr. C15.0116
Project budget
180'000 CHF
Further documents and links
Publications
-
Cultivation of microalgae at high-density with pretreated liquid digestate as a nitrogen source : fate of nitrogen and improvements on growth limitations
2024 Pulgarin, Adrian; Kapeller, Alexander Garcia; Tarik, Mohamed; Egloff, Sophia; Mariotto, Marina; Ludwig, Christian; Refardt, Dominik
-
Effective removal of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus from a Chlorella vulgaris microalgal culture by homogeneous solar photo-Fenton at neutral pH
2024 Pulgarin, Adrian; Decker, Jérémie; Chen, Jiahua; Giannakis, Stefanos; Ludwig, Christian; Refardt, Dominik; Pick, Horst
-
Co-cultivation of microalgae in aquaculture water : interactions, growth and nutrient removal efficiency at laboratory- and pilot-scale
2020 Tejido-Nuñez, Yaiza; Aymerich, Enrique; Sancho, Luis; Refardt, Dominik
-
A novel proposition for a citrate-modified photo-Fenton process against bacterial contamination of microalgae cultures
2020 Pulgarin, Adrian; Giannakis, Stefanos; Pulgarin, César; Ludwig, Christian; Refardt, Dominik