Content description of the project
This research project addresses urgent global environmental challenges such as climate change, pollution, and resource depletion, by promoting a transition from a linear economic model to a circular economy approach. Instead of the traditional “take–make–dispose” system, the project proposes an integrated and sustainable valorisation pathway for microalgae biomass, aiming to minimize waste while maximizing resource efficiency and environmental benefits. Microalgae represent a highly promising renewable resource due to their rapid growth, adaptability to diverse cultivation conditions, and capacity to produce a wide range of high-value compounds, including pigments, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. In addition to their potential for producing specialty products, microalgae biomass can serve as an excellent feedstock for hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), a thermochemical process that converts wet biomass into biocrude oil, offering a renewable and carbon-neutral alternative to fossil fuels. The overall objective of the project is to establish a cascade biorefinery concept that enables the comprehensive valorisation of microalgae. The approach begins with the cultivation and harvesting of microalgae, followed by the extraction and purification of high-value pigments and proteins using environmentally friendly solvents. The remaining biomass that is rich in carbohydrates and lipids will then be utilized in the HTL process to produce biocrude, ensuring that no valuable fraction is left unused. The final work focuses on project coordination, management, dissemination, exploitation, and communication activities. The project is based on strong international collaboration since microalgae cultivation and harvesting will be conducted at CEA (Cadarache, France), while downstream processing and HTL conversion will be carried out at the National Institute of Chemistry in Slovenia. Through this integrated and multidisciplinary approach, the project aims to contribute to sustainable bioresource utilization and advance circular economy principles in the bio-based sector.
Composition of the project team
52995 dr. Filipa A. Andre Vicente
58595 Kristina Andrejc
52004 dr. Monika Arnič
56268 Dana Marinič
54884 Matej Žula
Bibliographic references, which were produced in the scope of this project
N. Tkalec, B. Likozar, J. F. B. Pereira, and F. A. Vicente, in Blue Biorefineries and Sustainable Marine Industries, ed. F. A. Vicente and J. F. B. Pereira, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025, vol. 90, ch. 2, pp. 19-43.
M. B. N. Alves, F. A. Vicente, and J. F. B. Pereira, in Blue Biorefineries and Sustainable Marine Industries, ed. F. A. Vicente and J. F. B. Pereira, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025, vol. 90, ch. 17, pp. 495-501.
F. Delrue, D. Marinič and B. Likozar, in Blue Biorefineries and Sustainable Marine Industries, eds. F. A. Vicente and J. F. B. Pereira, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025, vol. 90, pp. 299–326.
