INTERVIEW WITH CHARLOTTE JACOBSEN – TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF DENMARK (DTU)

“We will develop a so-called cascading process where we extract the compounds one by one using sustainable and green technologies”. Charlotte Jacobsen, professor at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), explains in this interview the tasks, the challenges and the collaborations with other partners in the project.

Q: DTU is in charge of leading the development of a zero-waste process and valorize all cell components from cell biomass, could you explain the importance of these tasks and why are necessary for the project deployment?

A: In ALFAFUELS the main focus is on producing aviation fuels from cyanobacteria and microalgae. When doing this only a minor part of the biomass is used. For example, all the proteins, carbohydrates and fats which the microalgae produce are not used for fuel production. It will be a waste of resources if these valuable compounds are just wasted. Therefore, we will develop a so-called cascading process where we extract the compounds one by one using sustainable and green technologies. We will mainly focus on fats, pigments, proteins and starch. The starch will be evaluated for its water-binding properties by a seafood producer.

Q: What are the main challenges and how do you collaborate with other partners?

A: The main challenges are as follows: The ALFAFUELs project produces only relatively small amounts of algae biomass for us to work with. Therefore, we must carry out our experiments on a small scale and design them very carefully to avoid wasting any of the precious biomass. Additionally, microalgae have hard cell walls that are difficult to break open, so we may need to pre-treat the biomass to make it possible to extract the valuable compounds. Lastly, we need to develop a process that can be upscaled after the project ends. This process should be economically feasible and have a low environmental impact.

Regarding collaborations, we work with RISE, who produces the cyanobacteria algae biomass for us. After we have extracted lipids, proteins, and pigments from the cyanobacteria biomass, RISE will receive the residual biomass to further break it down so that it can be used as a cultivation medium for the microalgae called Chlamydomonas. We also collaborate with Copenhagen University on the environmental assessment of the extraction processes we have developed. Finally, we collaborate with the seafood producer Espersen, who will evaluate the starch we have extracted from the microalgae.