Valgest
INTEGRAL VALORISATION OF MICROALGAE BIOMASS USED IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BIOFERTILISERS FOR AGRICULTURE
The overall objective of the BACAGRO research project (Production of bacteria for agricultural use as soil fertility improvers and protective agents against phytopathogens) is the development of new biostimulant products for agricultural use to improve the profitability and sustainability of intensive agriculture under plastic. As part of the overall objective, BACAGRO has four distinct technological objectives: (i) Selection and identification of beneficial bacteria for soils and plants, (ii) Development of scalable microbial production processes that are competitive with agricultural application, (iii) Development of methods of preservation and application of such bacteria ensuring their safety and efficacy and, (iv) Evaluation of the effect on soils and plants after final application of the product. In this way, the implementation of BACAGRO will increase the productivity of crops grown under plastic by minimising diseases caused by fungi and other pathogens, while at the same time reducing the use of chemical agents used to control them, as well as the supply of nutrients thanks to a better use of those present in the soil, which will result in a parallel increase in the sustainability of this type of crop.
BACAGRO will involve an intense public-private cooperation of a multidisciplinary nature over a period of three years from October 2015 and will be driven by a technology-based company such as Biorizon Biotech, S.L. (dedicated to the development, production and commercialisation of biofertilisers); the Cajamar Foundation, which will participate as a reference research centre in the field of intensive agriculture and, as a third partner, the University of Almeria, through the Agri-Food Biotechnology Research Centre (BITAL), which will involve the participation in the project of three research groups belonging to the University of Almeria: BIO-175: Development of microbiological techniques for the improvement of soils of agricultural interest, BIO-173: Biotechnology of marine microalgae and; RMN-346: Aquatic Ecology and Aquaculture. It is therefore a working team that deals with all stages of the process, identification of micro-organisms at laboratory scale, industrial production, preservation and field evaluation. All of them are led and coordinated by the company Biorizon Biotech, S.L., with extensive experience in the development of research projects and, above all, with experience in bringing new solutions to the market, as demonstrated by the evolution of its product catalogue. The development of the project will involve the mobilisation of an investment of more than half a million euros, which will be co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the State Programme for Research, Development and Innovation Oriented to the Challenges of Society (RETOS-Colaboración 2015 Call of the MINECO).
The success of BACAGRO will not only allow progress in the technology of production and use of bacteria for agricultural use, but will also enable the development of new products based on microalgae, opening up an important line of work both in the production of this type of microorganisms and for their use in agriculture. This will allow further progress to be made in improving the sustainability and profitability of agriculture, as the only way to maintain its competitiveness in an increasingly globalised economy.
BACAGRO will involve an intense public-private cooperation of a multidisciplinary nature over a period of three years from October 2015 and will be driven by a technology-based company such as Biorizon Biotech, S.L. (dedicated to the development, production and commercialisation of biofertilisers); the Cajamar Foundation, which will participate as a reference research centre in the field of intensive agriculture and, as a third partner, the University of Almeria, through the Agri-Food Biotechnology Research Centre (BITAL), which will involve the participation in the project of three research groups belonging to the University of Almeria: BIO-175: Development of microbiological techniques for the improvement of soils of agricultural interest, BIO-173: Biotechnology of marine microalgae and; RMN-346: Aquatic Ecology and Aquaculture. It is therefore a working team that deals with all stages of the process, identification of micro-organisms at laboratory scale, industrial production, preservation and field evaluation. All of them are led and coordinated by the company Biorizon Biotech, S.L., with extensive experience in the development of research projects and, above all, with experience in bringing new solutions to the market, as demonstrated by the evolution of its product catalogue. The development of the project will involve the mobilisation of an investment of more than half a million euros, which will be co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the State Programme for Research, Development and Innovation Oriented to the Challenges of Society (RETOS-Colaboración 2015 Call of the MINECO).
The success of BACAGRO will not only allow progress in the technology of production and use of bacteria for agricultural use, but will also enable the development of new products based on microalgae, opening up an important line of work both in the production of this type of microorganisms and for their use in agriculture. This will allow further progress to be made in improving the sustainability and profitability of agriculture, as the only way to maintain its competitiveness in an increasingly globalised economy.
Biorizon Biotech is a company whose main line of business is the production of biofertilisers and biostimulants from the microalgae Spirulina platensis, as well as other products for agriculture and animal feed.
In addition, it is initiating other product development lines based on bioactive compounds of interest from microalgae. In this sense, the general objective of this industrial research project is: ‘To develop a process of integral valorisation of microalgae biomass from wastewater treatment processes under the concept known as biorefinery, with the aim of developing new lines of biofertiliser and biostimulant products, which will increase the portfolio of Biorizon Biotech with new products with characteristics of interest for agriculture, which in turn promote the sustainability of agricultural processes, both intensive and extensive. At the same time, the development of the biorefinery concept will make the raw material as profitable as possible by extracting value-added compounds, formulating products for animal feed and applying the remaining material as a nutrient for the production of plant growth promoting bacteria, on which Biorizon Biotech is currently working as a line of microbiological biofertilisers, managing to set up a process with zero waste’. The project envisages four necessary technological objectives:
(i) Development and optimisation of a process for pre-treatment and extraction of bioactive compounds from Scenedesmus sp. biomass. from a waste water treatment process,
(ii) Development and optimisation of an enzymatic hydrolysis process of the extracted fractions of interest and their formulation as biofertilisers and biostimulants for agriculture,
(iii) Evaluation of the effect on soils and plants after final application of the product.
(iv) Formulation of a nutrient growth medium for plant growth promoting bacteria from the surplus and by-products of the extraction and hydrolysis processes.
In this way, the achievement of the project will increase the productivity of crops grown under plastic by using biofertilisers and biostimulants of natural origin, which will help to reduce the impact of mineral fertilisers on the environment, their CO2 footprint, as well as the problems caused by the concentration of nitrates in aquifers and the salinity of the soil. In turn, interconnecting the process of wastewater treatment through the use of microalgae with the valorisation of the resulting biomass for the production of biofertilisers, biostimulants and other value-added products closes the circle of sustainability of the process, as the water is recovered for agricultural use, nutrients such as N and P are recovered from the wastewater and transformed into microalgae biomass, which in turn will be used for the development of phytonutrients, returning once again to the circle with a negative CO2 rate, which translates into a parallel increase in the sustainability of the crops in which the products to be developed are used.
For the development of this R&D project, which began in October 2016 and will last 36 months, a PhD in Advanced Agrochemistry has been contracted through the Torres Quevedo Call for Aid, the R&D being financed by the Torres Quevedo Programme (FEDER Funds) of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (with administrative aid application code: PTQ-15-07929).
In addition, it is initiating other product development lines based on bioactive compounds of interest from microalgae. In this sense, the general objective of this industrial research project is: ‘To develop a process of integral valorisation of microalgae biomass from wastewater treatment processes under the concept known as biorefinery, with the aim of developing new lines of biofertiliser and biostimulant products, which will increase the portfolio of Biorizon Biotech with new products with characteristics of interest for agriculture, which in turn promote the sustainability of agricultural processes, both intensive and extensive. At the same time, the development of the biorefinery concept will make the raw material as profitable as possible by extracting value-added compounds, formulating products for animal feed and applying the remaining material as a nutrient for the production of plant growth promoting bacteria, on which Biorizon Biotech is currently working as a line of microbiological biofertilisers, managing to set up a process with zero waste’. The project envisages four necessary technological objectives:
(i) Development and optimisation of a process for pre-treatment and extraction of bioactive compounds from Scenedesmus sp. biomass. from a waste water treatment process,
(ii) Development and optimisation of an enzymatic hydrolysis process of the extracted fractions of interest and their formulation as biofertilisers and biostimulants for agriculture,
(iii) Evaluation of the effect on soils and plants after final application of the product.
(iv) Formulation of a nutrient growth medium for plant growth promoting bacteria from the surplus and by-products of the extraction and hydrolysis processes.
In this way, the achievement of the project will increase the productivity of crops grown under plastic by using biofertilisers and biostimulants of natural origin, which will help to reduce the impact of mineral fertilisers on the environment, their CO2 footprint, as well as the problems caused by the concentration of nitrates in aquifers and the salinity of the soil. In turn, interconnecting the process of wastewater treatment through the use of microalgae with the valorisation of the resulting biomass for the production of biofertilisers, biostimulants and other value-added products closes the circle of sustainability of the process, as the water is recovered for agricultural use, nutrients such as N and P are recovered from the wastewater and transformed into microalgae biomass, which in turn will be used for the development of phytonutrients, returning once again to the circle with a negative CO2 rate, which translates into a parallel increase in the sustainability of the crops in which the products to be developed are used.
For the development of this R&D project, which began in October 2016 and will last 36 months, a PhD in Advanced Agrochemistry has been contracted through the Torres Quevedo Call for Aid, the R&D being financed by the Torres Quevedo Programme (FEDER Funds) of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (with administrative aid application code: PTQ-15-07929).
(i) Development and optimisation of a process for pre-treatment and extraction of bioactive compounds from Scenedesmus sp. biomass. from a waste water treatment process,
(ii) Development and optimisation of an enzymatic hydrolysis process of the extracted fractions of interest and their formulation as biofertilisers and biostimulants for agriculture,
(iii) Evaluation of the effect on soils and plants after final application of the product.
(iv) Formulation of a nutrient growth medium for plant growth promoting bacteria from the surplus and by-products of the extraction and hydrolysis processes.
In this way, the achievement of the project will increase the productivity of crops grown under plastic by using biofertilisers and biostimulants of natural origin, which will help to reduce the impact of mineral fertilisers on the environment, their CO2 footprint, as well as the problems caused by the concentration of nitrates in aquifers and the salinity of the soil. In turn, interconnecting the process of wastewater treatment through the use of microalgae with the valorisation of the resulting biomass for the production of biofertilisers, biostimulants and other value-added products closes the circle of sustainability of the process, as the water is recovered for agricultural use, nutrients such as N and P are recovered from the wastewater and transformed into microalgae biomass, which in turn will be used for the development of phytonutrients, returning once again to the circle with a negative CO2 rate, which translates into a parallel increase in the sustainability of the crops in which the products to be developed are used.
For the development of this R&D project, which began in October 2016 and will last 36 months, a PhD in Advanced Agrochemistry has been contracted through the Torres Quevedo Call for Aid, the R&D being financed by the Torres Quevedo Programme (FEDER Funds) of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (with administrative aid application code: PTQ-15-07929).
(ii) Development and optimisation of an enzymatic hydrolysis process of the extracted fractions of interest and their formulation as biofertilisers and biostimulants for agriculture,
(iii) Evaluation of the effect on soils and plants after final application of the product.
(iv) Formulation of a nutrient growth medium for plant growth promoting bacteria from the surplus and by-products of the extraction and hydrolysis processes.
In this way, the achievement of the project will increase the productivity of crops grown under plastic by using biofertilisers and biostimulants of natural origin, which will help to reduce the impact of mineral fertilisers on the environment, their CO2 footprint, as well as the problems caused by the concentration of nitrates in aquifers and the salinity of the soil. In turn, interconnecting the process of wastewater treatment through the use of microalgae with the valorisation of the resulting biomass for the production of biofertilisers, biostimulants and other value-added products closes the circle of sustainability of the process, as the water is recovered for agricultural use, nutrients such as N and P are recovered from the wastewater and transformed into microalgae biomass, which in turn will be used for the development of phytonutrients, returning once again to the circle with a negative CO2 rate, which translates into a parallel increase in the sustainability of the crops in which the products to be developed are used.
For the development of this R&D project, which began in October 2016 and will last 36 months, a PhD in Advanced Agrochemistry has been contracted through the Torres Quevedo Call for Aid, the R&D being financed by the Torres Quevedo Programme (FEDER Funds) of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (with administrative aid application code: PTQ-15-07929).
