ALG-AD - Creating value from waste nutrients by integrating algal and anaerobic digestion technology


Project Summary

What is ALG-AD?

ALG-AD is a Interreg NWE funded project in which new technology is being developed to take excess waste nutrients produced from anaerobic digestion of food and farm waste to cultivate algal biomass for animal feed and other products of value.

ALG-AD brings together a group of scientists and engineers from 11 different partners in four countries across North West Europe. These academics are working together with industry to develop a circular economy solution to create wealth from waste.

 

Why is the project necessary?

There is an urgent need to develop sustainable food and farming.  

North West Europe is a densely populated and intensely agricultural area. It thus contributes disproportionately to food and farm waste produced in the EU each year.

Increasing amounts of food and farm waste are processed using anaerobic digestion (AD). AD converts waste to biogas used for energy and a liquid nutrient rich digestate, most of which is returned to land as a biofertiliser.

However, there are strict limits on the amount of digestate which is allowed to be put back on agricultural  land. Strict limits are imposed with EU legislation and so-called Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. This is increasingly creating excess unwanted nutrients. 

The ability to use these excess nutrients to produce new products presents a circular economy solution. 

 

How can ALG-AD help?

ALG-AD combines algal and AD technology.  Microalgae, mainly photosynthetic microorganisms will be cultivated, converting the unwanted nutrients into biomass. The cultivated algal biomass is rich in protein and other useful compounds, and can be used to generate sustainable animal feed products and other useful bio-products.

 

What is ALG-AD doing?

ALG-AD has completed three pilot facilities construction at 3 distinct ‘real life conditions locations in North West Europe: Devon (UK), Ghent (Be) and Brittany (Fr). Each facility used local conditions to grow the algae and record results. Information from the three pilots is used to generate Decision Support Tools. These tools together with a demonstration to stakeholders promote the adoption of the new technology.

The valorisation of produced algal biomass will be achieved through the animal feed preparation. The process of hydrolysation of algal biomass with the assessment of pathogens and heavy metals level, permitting to use this biomass for the animal (piglet and fish) nutrition trials. 

 

European Regional Development Fund

Project Partners

Lead partner

Organisation Address Email Website
Swansea University 1 Singleton Park
Swansea
SA28PP
United Kingdom
a.silkina@swansea.ac.uk www.swansea.ac.uk
Name Contact Name Email Country
Universiteit Gent Marcella Fernandes de Souza Marcella.FernandesDeSouza@UGent.be Belgium
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie Christine Rösch christine.roesch@kit.edu Germany
Birmingham City University Lynsey Melville Lynsey.Melville@bcu.ac.uk United Kingdom
Langage AD Daniel Langton daniel.langton@langagefarm.com United Kingdom
INNOLAB Bernard Willems bernard.willems@innolab.be Belgium
Association des Chambres d'Agriculture de l'Arc Atlantique Alexandre Morin contact@ac3a.chambagri.fr France
Université de Bretagne Occidentale Denis de la Broise denis.de-labroise@univ-brest.fr France
Le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Philippe Soudant philippe.soudant@univ-brest.fr France
Cooperl arc Atlantique Barbara Clement-Larosiere barbara.clement-larosiere@cooperl.com France

Project News


Project embraces opportunities for students offered by Erasmus programme

Posted on

Over the past year the EU Interreg NWE funded ALG-AD project has offered placements to three students under the Erasmus student exchange programme. The Erasmus programme is designed to enable students to gain valuable international experience, either by studying part of their degree abroad, or undertaking a work placement. Yoan Lessing from France, Sandra Dukič from Slovenia and Jose Ignacio from Spain have all spent varying amounts of time working on the project over the last year. Read More

Spring proves productive for ALG-AD project

Posted on

Two of ALG-AD’s three pilot plants have now been commissioned and inoculated for the first time, with the first harvests from the pilots expected some time in April. During several months of hard work, the teams have designed, constructed and commissioned the pilot facilities at each location. These innovative systems combines large-scale algal cultivation facilities with anaerobic digestion. Read More


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