Jérémy PRUVOST

Pascal JAOUEN

Jack LEGRAND

« ALGOSOLIS: A R&D FACILITY DEVELOPING BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGIES FOR MICROALGAE PRODUCTION AND BIOREFIN ING »

Rendez-Vous de Concarneau: where Industry meets Science in marine biotechnology

29-30th September 2016

MICROALGAE, A PROMISING BIORESOURCE

Industrial exploitation of microalgae remains moderate and poorly diversified,

with a worldwide production around 20 000T/year, compared to traditional

agriculture (around 2.3 109 T/year only for cereal) ...

FOOD AND FEED

COSMETICS / HEALTH INGREDIENTS

GREEN CHEMISTRY

CO2 VALORIZATION BIOENERGY

SCALING-UP MICROALGAL INDUSTRY

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One main issue is in the difficulty to set-up mass-scale, cost-effective sustainable plants

Selection and optimization of

strains

Controlled large scale production

Effluents: CO2, Nitrogen

…

Harvesting techniques

RAW BIOMASS CHARACTERIZED

Algo-Refinery (liquefaction,

methanisation ...)

REFINED BIOMASS(PROTEINS, LIPIDS,

SUGARS, PIGMENTS, HYDROCARBON ...)

Extraction techniques

Water treatment / medium recycling

This implies :

• technological development and innovations, to set-up processes

adapted to the specificities of microalgal biomass

• To work within an integrated approach, combining strain

selection/optimization, process development and integration in an

optimized exploitation unit

DEVELOPING MICROALGAE BIOBASED -PRODUCTS

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Microalgal biomass is a source of

ingredients for various applications

Extracts (examples) : Exopolysacharides, Oligosacharides, Oils –

Lipids - PUFAs, Aqueous and proteic extracts,

Phycoreytrhin, Phycocyanin, other pigments …

Anti-oxydative, anti-viral, texturizing, anti-

inflammatory, moisturizing ...

Targeted activities :

The development of the microalgal industry is driven by innovations in marketable products

ALGOSOLIS, A R&D FACILITY DEDICATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE MICROALGAE INDUSTRY

AlgoSolis provides scientific and technological environment for developing optimized

strains, processes and methods for the industrial applications requesting mass-scale,

controlled and efficient production of microalgae (biofuels, food/feed, cosmetics, green

chemistry, environmental applications).

TRL = Technological Readiness Level

• An infrastructure designed for the integration of

technological bricks so as to define and optimize an

industrial exploitation of microalgae

• Technological bricks development and innovations, to

set-up processes adapted to the specificities of

microalgal biomass and final extracted products

requirements

AlgoSolis facility

GEPEA (lab research)

ALGOSOLIS, A R&D CORE-FACILITY FOR COLLABORATIVE AND INDUSTRIALIZATION PROJECTS

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Laboratory of Process Engineering

for Environment and Food

(UMR-CNRS 6144)(Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés-

Environnement-Agroalimentaire)

� Around 190 persons, with 40 persons

working on bioprocesses applied to

microalgae, from biology to the

refining of microalgal biomass

� More than 20 years of research in the

field of microalgae

(UMS-CNRS 3722)

Industrialization through

collaborative projects

(process/products developments,

preindustrial validation…)

The « Valley-of-Death » of

industrial projects

AlgoSolis is operated by GEPEA laboratory, allowing to connect fundamental

research to microalgal industry

TRL = Technological Readiness Level

THE PRE-INDUSTRIAL R&D ALGOSOLIS FACILITY

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A high-tech and flexible infrastructure with breakthrough technologies

Solar culture optimizationSolar culture optimization

Processes integrationFull automation of the process linesOperation and optimisation at pre-industrial scale

Processes integrationFull automation of the process linesOperation and optimisation at pre-industrial scale

Wet-biomass extraction (lipids)Wet-biomass extraction (lipids)

Microalgal biomass refining for high-value productsMicroalgal biomass refining for high-value products

Culture on effluents (flue gas, liquideffluent)

Culture on effluents (flue gas, liquideffluent)

Innovativephotobioreactors development

Innovativephotobioreactors development

Medium recyclingMedium recycling

Strainscomparisonin outdoorcondition

Strainscomparisonin outdoorcondition

• 20 lines of biomass production equipped with various PBR technologies including newly patented technologies (CNRS-GEPEA)

• Fully equipped downstream processing R&D unit (harvesting processes, membrane filtration, processes for cell disruption and metabolites

extraction/fractioning)

• All production-downstream processing units can be used individually or be connected to set a complete exploitation process

• Global supervision and automation of the complete facility

• Possibility of medium recycling implantation

FROM LAB SCALE …

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… TO INDUSTRIAL SCALE !

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Biomass production

- Artificial light and solar culture systems

- Covered and open raceways

- Intensified photobioreactors (AlgoFilm©)

- Possibility of culture on flue gas (on site

production) and on waste-water (storage

tanks)

- From few liters to 10m3 production

capacities (2-3kgof DW biomass per day)

© Jean-Claude MOSCHETTI/AlgoSolis/CNRS Photothèque

© Jean-Claude MOSCHETTI/AlgoSolis/CNRS Photothèque

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Algorefinery

- Cell disruption

- Membrane separations

(MF, UF, NF, RO, ED, Diaf.)

- CPE - Centrifugal Partition Extraction

- CPC - Chromatography

- Conventional solvent extraction (S/L & L/L)

© Jean-Claude MOSCHETTI/AlgoSolis/CNRS Photothèque

EXAMPLES OF RESULTS

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Main specifications (benchtop prototype)• Total surface: 0.3m²

• Total volume: 0.6-0.7L (depending of operating

conditions)

• alight ranging from 400 to 600 m2.m-3 (i.e. 1.7-

2.5liters/m²)

• Design dark volume fd=20% (recirculating pump)

Maximal productivity: 5.7 kg.m-3.day-1

in day-night cycles (Cx =17kg.m-3)

(similar to fermentation process performances

i.e. Typical PBR : 0.2-0.8kg.m-3.day-1)

Bio-bitumen from microalgae

(1 patent)

Microalgal biodiesel obtained

after wet-biomass extraction

(1 patent)

AlgoFilm© solar photobioreactor

(2 patents)

AlgoRoute project

Diesalg Project and

AlgoSource coll.

(BIOFAT project)

Biosolis project

EXAMPLES OF ON-GOING PROJECTS

Strains selection

/growth

optimization

Process

development and

intensification

Biorefining and

bio-products

valorization

CO2 fixation on flue gas from boilerFunding: AlgoSource Technologies

X X

Microalgae production on flue gas from cement industryFunding: Cimentalg Project (ADEME), Ciment Calcia

X

Microalgae biorefining for high-value productsFunding : AlgoRaf project (ADEME), AlgoSource Group

X X

Photobioreactor integration in building façade Funding : Symbio2 Project (FUI)

X

Polysaccharides production from microalgaeFunding : Polysalgue project (ANR), Institut Pascal

X X X

Biodiesel production from microalgaeFunding (2 projects): Diesalg (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) and BIOFAT

(EU) projects

X X X

Wastewater treatment with microalgaeFunding : Algostep project (ADEME), GLS

X X X

Optimization of microalgae production in extreme desert

conditions Funding: Qatar University

X X

Development of mass culture of microalgae strains with high

potential for human health applicationsFunding (4 projects): AlgoSource (contract) and EU-H2020

X X X

CONCLUSION

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ALGOSOLIS, A R&D FACILITY DEDICATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MICROALGAE INDUSTRY

• Screening of algae strains and metabolic optimization

• Process development and optimization

• Tailored production of microalgae biomass and bio-

products

Breakthrough

technologies for

microalgae culture

and for algorefinery

A tool for

international

collaborative

networks

AlgoSolis is opened for both industrialists and academia for collaborative R&D

projects or specific demands

(expertise, access to equipment / biomass / bioproducts, access for training...).

PROVIDING ADDED-VALUE SERVICES

Linking the research

and industrial

sectors

Thank you for yourattention

AlgoSolis

R&D facility

Polytech’NantesGraduate shool of the University of Nantes

Process and Bioprocess Engineering

GEPEA lab. (CRTT)

Atlantic ocean

Saint-Nazaire, France

La Baule

Saint-Nazaire

CONTACT

www.algosolis.com

Jeremy PRUVOST

algosolis@univ-nantes.fr

TYPICAL STUDIES ALLOWED BY ALGOSOLIS R&D FACILITY

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• Screening of microalgae strains and

metabolic optimizationStrains selection for industrial use, culture conditions

optimisation, modelling and in-silico optimisation

• Tailored production of microalgae biomass

and bio-productsProduction and full characterisation of raw and refined

biomass (pigments, polysaccharides, lipids…)

• Design/optimisation of complete production

unit

• Industrial integration of microalgae cultureProduction on industrial gaseous effluents (CO2),

valorization of liquid effluents (water treatment), impact

analysis (LCA…).

• Process development and optimizationIntensified PBR, low-energy consuming harvesting

processes, biorefining processes (wet biomass extration,

further fractioning of biomass, co-valorisation of biomass

residues and specific metabolites…), culture medium

recycling

Optimal processes chaining, real conditions operation,

optimization of the cultivation protocols and of the overall

process, modelling and optimised control of the installation