Course
Algae Biorefinery
Advanced course, 4th edition, designing optimal algae-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. This edition will focus on both microalgae and macroalgae (seaweed) with hands on training using the novel AlgaePARC biorefinery pilot platform.
Background
Algae, both microalgae and macroalgae, are considered promising
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 algae a source of
bulk products, the cost price for production / cultivation needs to be reduced,
the scale of sourcing 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 maintaining the functionality of the different biomass components. Biorefining of algae is thus very important for the selective separation and use of the functional biomass components.
This course is organized right after the “Microalgae Process Design: from cells to photobioreactors” summer school, also held at WUR. These courses together provide a comprehensive understanding of 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 algal biorefinery. An MSc level in (bio)process technology, or alike, is recommended.
Course aim
This course provides the essential skills for designing optimal algae-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 academia and industry will highlight the industrial/economic framework of algae biorefinery. Furthermore, parallels will be made with existing biorefinery models as well as other emerging biomass sources such as agricultural and food processing side-streams.
Course design
Through lectures, digital cases and practicals on pilot processing systems, the participants will learn: 1) to describe different process units for each process step in the algae 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: pre-treatment, harvesting,
cell disruption, extraction and fractionation - Biorefinery Process Design
- Optimization of the process chain
- Analytical methods
- Hands-on operation of pilot unit operations
Course coordinators
- Dr Iulian Boboescu, Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research
- Dr Wouter Huijgen, Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research
Other faculty
- several academic and industrial speakers - t.b.a.
Date & duration
The course will be held from 8 - 11 July 2024. Course duration: 3.5 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 Iulian Boboescu and Dr Wouter Huijgen.
For organisational matters please contact :
Mrs. Yvonne Smolders
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.
Hotels:
Other accommodation:
Registration & course fee
To register please complete the registration form
The final registration date is 8 June 2024.
The course fee includes coffee/tea during breaks, lunches and one course dinner on Tuesday 9 July, 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 28 June - 5 July 2024. Please contact Yvonne Smolders for more information.
Cancellation policy
After acceptance of your registration, the VLAG Cancellation Conditions for course participants will apply.