Food-grade oils from microalgae

According to the same considerations, algae show great potential as an alternative source of edible oils. Some algal species have the capability to accumulate large amounts of lipids, algae can grow on non-arable land and even in salty water. Furthermore, the aerial productivity of microalgae is orders of magnitude higher than that of terrestrial oil crops.

Aim and research question

This project aims at obtaining a sustainable and scalable microalgal process for the production of triacylglycerides (TAG). Emphasis will be on optimizing both productivity as well as biomass and TAG composition by means of process engineering.

Approach

In this project a screening of ten microalgae for lipid content, productivity and composition will be performed in lab scale experiments under both nitrogen replete anddeplete conditions (figure 1).

One alga will be selected and the impact of cultivation conditions (e.g. physiological stress) on the TAG composition, content and productivity will be investigated. These investigations will be performed in controlled photobioreactors.

A stoichiometric metabolic model of the selected alga will be developed and used tocalculate metabolic fluxes under various cultivation conditions in order to obtain insight in the physiological impact of lipid accumulation. In addition (black box) models containing kinetic relationships will be developed correlating cultivation conditions to lipid productivities or fatty acid compositions. These results will be combined and used for the design of a scalable and sustainable process for TAG production by microalgae.

Thesis projects

Within this project there are various possibilities for doing a BSc or MSc thesis. If you are interested in doing a BSc or MSc thesis, feel free to contact me.