Advanced course, 3rd edition, designing optimal microalgae-based biorefineries, from unit operations to the entire process chain, for both research and commercial applications and to be able to address the present bottlenecks in the process chain. 

Microalgae are considered a biobased feedstock for a variety of applications: Food, feed, chemicals, materials and energy. The advantages of this feedstock is its flexibility in terms of products and sustainability: high areal productivity in comparison to terrestrial crops, lack of competition for land that is suitable for agriculture, and their capacity to grow on seawater. To make microalgae a source of bulk products, the cost price for production needs to be reduced, the scale of production needs to be increased significantly and the biomass value should be maximized.
To develop a more sustainable and economically feasible process, all biomass components (e.g. proteins, lipids, carbohydrates) should be used at minimal energy requirements and minimal costs while keeping the functionality of the different biomass components. Biorefining of microalgae is very important for the selective separation and use of the functional biomass components

In the course Microalgae Process Design: from cells to photobioreactors (6th Edition, 5 -12 July 2019, Wageningen) the upstream part, i.e. the biology and cultivation part is covered. In this course, Microalgae Biorefinery, the downstream part, i.e the biorefinery will be in focus. The two courses will cover the entire microalgae process chain. When taking both courses we can offer a reduction in total course fee.

The course is aimed at PhD students, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, as well as professionals, that would like to acquire a thorough understanding of microalgal biorefinery. An MSc level in (bio)process technology, or alike, is recommended.

For more information visit the VLAG Graduate School website.