Course
Microalgae Biorefinery
Advanced course, 3rd edition, designing optimal microalgae-based biorefineries, from unit operations to the entire process chain, for both research and commercial applications and to be able to address the present bottlenecks in the process chain.
Background
Microalgae are considered a biobased feedstock for a variety of applications: Food, feed, chemicals, materials and energy. The advantages of this feedstock is its flexibility in terms of products and sustainability: high areal productivity in comparison to terrestrial crops, lack of competition for land that is suitable for agriculture, and their capacity to grow on seawater. To make microalgae a source of bulk products, the cost price for production needs to be reduced, the scale of production needs to be increased significantly and the biomass value should be maximized.
To develop a more sustainable and economically feasible process, all biomass components (e.g. proteins, lipids, carbohydrates) should be used at minimal energy requirements and minimal costs while keeping the functionality of the different biomass components. Biorefining of microalgae is very important for the selective separation and use of the functional biomass components
In the course Microalgae Process Design: from cells to photobioreactors (6th Edition, 5 -12 July 2019, Wageningen) the upstream part, i.e. the biology and cultivation part is covered. In this course, Microalgae Biorefinery, the downstream part, i.e the biorefinery will be in focus. The two courses will cover the entire microalgae process chain. When taking both courses we can offer a reduction in total course fee.
Target group
The course is aimed at PhD students, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, as well as professionals, that would like to acquire a thorough understanding of microalgal biorefinery. An MSc level in (bio)process technology, or alike, is recommended.
Course aim
This course provides the essential skills for designing optimal microalgae-based biorefineries, from unit operations to the entire process chain, for both research and commercial applications and to be able to address the present bottlenecks in the process chain. In addition several speakers from industry will highlight the industrial/economic framework of microalgae biorefinery.
Course design
Through lectures, digital cases and short practicals, the participants will learn: 1) to describe different process units for each process step in the microalgae biorefinery chain; 2) to evaluate and optimize the process units by setting up mass/energy balances for each unit; 3) to integrate the different process units in a process chain and to 4) integrate the acquired knowledge into optimal process chains for different business cases with different combinations of end products.
Programme topics
- Unit operations mass balances: harvesting, cell disruption, extraction, fractionation
- Biorefinery Process Design
- Optimization of the process chain
- Analytical methods
Course coordinators
- Prof Michel Eppink, Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research
- Dr Corjan van den Berg, Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research
- Dr Giuseppe Olivieri – Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research
Other faculty
- Dr Douwe van der Veen - Phycom B.V., The Netherlands
- and several industrial speakers - t.b.a.
Date & duration
The course will be held from 15 - 18 July 2019, 4 days. Course duration: 3 days.
Study load
The study load of this course is 0.9 ECTS credits.
Language
The course language will be English.
Contact information
Information concerning the course contents can be obtained from Dr Corjan van den Berg, phone: +31 317 485422 and Prof. Michel Eppink
For organisational matters please contact :
Mrs. Eva Oudshoorn
Email: eva.oudshoorn@wur.nl
Location & accommodation
Lectures will be given at Wageningen University.
The town of Wageningen is 5 km from Ede-Wageningen railway station, with transport options being taxi or bus. Ede-Wageningen railway station is about one hour from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. For train schedules visit: www.ns.nl.
A number of hotel rooms have been block booked at Wageningen International Hotel and Congress Centre (WICC) for course participants, but only until 3 June 2019. Accommodation costs are € 69 (single room; bed & breakfast, excluding tax) per night. Hotel reservation is handled by WICC. Participants have to book their own hotel room: www.wicc.nl Please book your room before 3 June 2019 and mention bonus code MBR19.
Registration & course fee
To register please complete the electronic reply form
The final registration date is 28 May 2019.
Registration will be accepted in the order in which the registration form is received. You will be notified on acceptance by email. Then you will receive instructions for payment, and further course details.
Course fee includes downloadable lecture notes, wi-fi internet access, coffee/tea during breaks, lunches, and one dinner, and but does not cover accommodation. The course fee depends on the participant's affiliation:
| VLAG / WU PhD candidates | € 275 |
| PhD candidates | € 500 |
| Postdocs and other academic staff / Non-profit | € 725 |
| Participants from the private sector | € 1600 |
We can offer a discount in total course fee when taking the prior course on Microalgae Process Design from 5 - 12 July 2019. Please contact Eva Oudshoorn (eva.oudshoorn@wur.nl) for more information.
Cancellations policy
- No charge until 15 June 2019
- 25% of the course fee paid or due till 8 July 2019
- No refund after 8 July 2019
Substitutions may be made at any time until the start of the course.