Project description
Microalgae-based phycoremediation technology to generate bioproducts
The level of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased since pre-industrial times, primarily due to emissions from facilities. Discharging of wastewater creates pollution in water sources and causes harm to biodiversity. In response, manufacturing companies are under pressure to reduce CO2 emissions and optimise energy usage. The EU-funded ALGBIO project aims to provide a circular economy model service to industries by proposing its phycoremediation technology to produce algae-based biofuels and bioplastics. This technology uses microalgae to remove pollutants from wastewater while simultaneously capturing CO2. The ALGBIO solution will slowly steer industries away from a petroleum-based economy, providing sustainable alternatives.
Objective
The level of CO2 in the atmosphere increased two times compared to the pre-industrial period. The biggest reasons for this are the flue gases of the factories and greenhouse gas emissions in transportation. Billion tons of industrial wastewater and CO2 from the same factories continue to destroy our biodiversity in sea/lakes/rivers because of mucilage, eutrophication, ocean acidification, and deoxygenation.
With global production sectors responsible for one-fifth of carbon emissions – consuming 54% of the world’s energy sources – there is an urgent need for manufacturing companies to minimize CO2 emissions and optimize energy consumption. ALGBIO provides production facilities and industry with a circular economy model service, where they can capture their carbon, purify their waste, and produce their energies and raw materials.
ALGBIO will help the industry lower the environmental impact of the wastewater and flue gasses while turning the waste into energy with its circular economy model and patent-pending technology.
ALGBIO’s bioremediation technology is called phycoremediation, which can be defined as the use of microalgae for the removal or biotransformation of pollutants, including nutrients and xenobiotics from wastewater and CO2 from waste air. Rubisco enzyme activities of ALGBIO's metabolic engineering algae species have been increased. In this way, ALGBIO realizes carbon capture more efficiently and cost-effectively. With advanced phycoremediation, ALGBIO can remove up to 95% of biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen, phosphorus and conductivity from industrial wastewater and sewage compared to an un-efficient, carbon-positive conventional bacterial treatment.
The successful completion of the ALGBIO project will enable us to identify the pilot customers and implement our solution ALGBIO photobioreactors and ALGBIO biofuel production reactor after the project completion.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologymetabolic engineering
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processes
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringcarbon capture engineering
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbioplastics
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbiofuels
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.3.2 - European innovation ecosystems Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support ActionsCoordinator
34870 Istanbul
Türkiye
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.