Course
Microalgae Process Design: from cells to photobioreactors
This course provides the essential skills for designing optimal microalgae-based production processes, for both research and commercial purposes.
Background
Microalgae and cyanobacteria have the potential to produce a variety of products using light as the only source of energy to fuel metabolism. Among these products are polyunsaturated fatty acids, pigments and therapeutic proteins. In addition to these high-value products, microalgae are regarded as one of the most promising resources for the production of bulk products such as food and feed lipids, food and feed proteins, base chemicals and energy sources for the industry, and on a longer term biofuels. To make economical large-scale production of such bulk products possible, the cost price for production needs to be reduced, the scale of production needs to be increased substantially and the biomass value should be maximized.
In this course “Microalgae Process Design: from cells to photobioreactors” the biology and cultivation part are covered. In a second course Microalgae Biorefinery (28-31 August, Wageningen), the next process step, i.e. the biorefinery, will be in focus. The two courses together 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 candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and professionals both academy and industry, that would like to acquire a thorough understanding of microalgal metabolism and photobioreactor design and operation. An MSc level in bioprocess technology, or alike, is recommended.
Course aim
This course provides the essential skills for designing optimal microalgae-based production processes, for both research and commercial purposes.
Course design
Through lectures, digital cases and a photobioreactor practical, the participants will learn: 1) how to describe microalgal metabolism quantitatively, 2) how to apply basic design principles and set up mass/energy balances for photobioreactors, 3) how to cultivate microalgae in fully controlled photobioreactors, 4) how to integrate all acquired knowledge into optimal production strategies for microalgae biomass or secondary metabolites, and 5) how to scale it up and evaluate the impact of process parameters on production costs.
The daily programme is divided in approximately 5.5 hours of lectures and digital cases, and 2.5 hours of practical work. On Saturday and Sunday, 2.5 hours will be spent on practical work (microalgae do not stop growing in the weekends...). Saturday will also feature an excursion to AlgaePARC, followed by a barbecue.
Programme topics
- Fundamentals of photoautotrophic growth and light transfer
- Photobioreactor operation and productivity
- Gas-liquid transfer in photobioreactors
- Modelling photobioreactors productivity
- Micoralgal metabolism and secondary product formation
- Metabolic (flux) modelling
- Metabolic engineering strategies
- Photobioreactors cultivation strategies for optimal yield
- Scale-up of microalgae cultivation: Techno-Economics
Course coordinators
- Dr Maria Barbosa, Bioprocess Engineering - AlgaePARC, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
- Prof. René Wijffels, Bioprocess Engineering - AlgaePARC, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
- Dr Marcel Janssen, Bioprocess Engineering - AlgaePARC, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
- Dr Arjen Rinzema, Bioprocess Engineering - AlgaePARC, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
- Dr Rouke Bosma, Bioprocess Engineering - AlgaePARC, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
Other faculty
- Prof. Jérémy Pruvost, University of Nantes, France
- Dr Andrew Spicer, Algenuity, UK
Date & duration
The course will be held from 18 - 25 August 2017, 8 days.
Study load
The study load of this course is 2.3 ECTS credits.
Language
The course language will be English.
Contact information
Information concerning the course contents can be obtained from Dr Maria Barbosa, phone: +31 317 480079 and Dr Marcel Janssen, phone: +31 317 484708
For organisational matters please contact:
Mrs. Eva Oudshoorn
Email: eva.oudshoorn@wur.nl
Location & accommodation
Lectures and practicals will be given at:
Wageningen University & Research
Orion - building 103
Bronland 1
6708 WH Wageningen
The Netherlands
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 and a half hours from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. For train schedules visit: www.ns.nl.
A number of hotel rooms have been blocked at the conference centre “Hof van Wageningen”, but only until 4 July 2017. Accommodation costs are € 75 - 92 (single room/twin room, incl. breakfast, excl. tax) per night. Hotel reservation is handled by Hof van Wageningen. Participants have to book their own hotel room by sending an email to: info@hofvanwageningen.nl. Please mention booking code MPD-MBR17.
Registration & course fee
Registration is closed!
To be able to fill in the registration form, you need a "VLAG-events account".
To create this account, please click here: create account.
If you already have a "VLAG-events account" you can directly go to the course registration form.
The final registration date is 18 July 2017. The number of participants to the course is limited to 32.
Applicants will receive a confirmation of their registration within two weeks and will be informed about their acceptance to the course 20 July 2017 at the latest. When accepted to the course they will receive instructions for payment and further course details. To secure their place in the course the applicants have to arrange payment of their course fee within 30 days after invoicing. Registrations are accepted in the order in which the registration form is received.
Course fee includes printed materials, coffee/tea during breaks, lunches, two dinners, and one BBQ and but does not cover accommodation. The course fee depends on the participant's affiliation.
| VLAG/WU PhD candidates | € 400 |
| All other PhD candidates | € 800 |
| University Staff / Non-Profit organisations | € 1500 |
| Industry / For-Profit | € 2750 |
We can offer a discount in total course fee when taking the consecutive course on Microalgae Biorefinery from 28-31 August 2017.
Please contact Eva Oudshoorn (eva.oudshoorn@wur.nl) for more information.
Cancellations policy
- No charge until 18 July 2017
- 25% of the course fee paid or due till 11 August 2017
- No refund after 11 August 2017
Substitutions may be made at any time until the start of the course.