Microalgae Cultivation

The research activities of the BiERLAB of the Department of Industrial Engineering is focused on the cultivation of microalgae and modeling their growth. The fields of application for microalgae are very diversified; they can be used for biofuel production, in the waste water treatment industry for removing contaminants, to capture CO2 from industrial flue gas, as well as to produce high-value molecules and for food usage.

The main activities carried out by our research group are:
– Effect of light and operating variables on continuous cultivation of microalgae in Photobioreactors
– Optimization of sustainable nutrient and CO2 supply for industrial autotrophic cultivation
– Exploitation of microalgae for Wastewater treatment and CO2 capture
– Modelling of microalgae growth for process design and optimization
– Optimization of artificial light supply and reactor design
– Process simulation and techno-economic analysis of algal biomass production