ALG-AD experiments resuming at Swansea University

While large-scale operations across the partnership have resumed full steam, laboratory work has also restarted at Swansea University where new results are expected to provide new insights for the implementation of the ALG AD technology.

The experimental work is looking into exploring microalgal growth performances and biochemical composition, when cultivated on a range of digestates provided by the ALG-AD partners and originating from different waste sources: kitchen and food waste, pig manure and plant waste. The three digestates are being used to grow the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus at Swansea University and the experiment will also be conducted on a microalgal consortium (Desmodesmus sp. and Chlorella sp.) and on the oil-rich fungus Aurantiochytrium mangrovei in Belgium and in France, respectively.

Results should provide new insights on adaptation mechanisms, growth performances and cellular composition of microalgal strains when exposed to different digestate streams. Obtained data will also demonstrate if particular microalgal strains are more adapted and suitable for the remediation of different waste streams, allowing to target strains for the bioremediation of specific digestates. Findings will be implemented at higher scales as part of the development of the ALG-AD technology