30 April 2012
French agricultural research organisation, the Institut National de la
Recherche Agronomique (INRA) has launched a 160 million Euro
collaborative platform aimed at developing efficient biofuels and high added value substances by
utilising micro-algae feeding on nutrients contained in waste and
industrial emissions of carbon dioxide.
Led by INRA in collaboration with 45 partners (public research, SMEs,
multinationals, local authorities, competitiveness clusters), the
‘GreenStars’ project aims at becoming, within five to ten years, one of
the top Institutes of Excellence worldwide in the field of micro-algae
bio-refinery.
The Institute said that Microalgae – a group of microscopic plant like
organisms – have shown great potential to offer low carbon energy, chemicals, food and feed due to their
unique composition, but their potential has yet to be fully realised.
According to the INRA experts anticipate that we will see major
breakthroughs in the production and use of microalgae over the next
decade, which is why more than $2 billion has been invested in microalgae research and development.
However, to date most of this research has taken place in the U.S.,
where the Government under President Obama has strongly backed the
developing algae industry with millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money.
Now European nations are also stepping up to the plate with new
projects such as EnAlgae and AB-SIG, which the INRA said are helping to
turn Europe into a hub for algae research and innovation.
GreenStars is the latest such project and will be supported by a budget
of 160 million Euros over 10 years – 20% of which will come from public
grants.
The Institute said that the primary goal of the programme over the next
decade is to develop compounds of interest, such as efficient biofuels
and high added value substances with micro-algae feeding on industrial
emissions of carbon dioxide and nutrients contained in waste.
INRA said that hoped in the future that the programme will help create
hundreds of new jobs and opportunities across the various industrial
sectors. GreenStars will also train a new generation of engineers to
create a strong and sustainable algae-based industry.
The Institute added that GreenStars will have industrial prototypes
based on state-of-the-art technologies that will allow the construction
of a viable economic and environmental model by as early as 2016.
Don’t miss the May June issue of WMW in which Tom Freyburg will take an
in depth look at an EU backed research project called All-Gas, which
will see algae grown using wastewater for use as a biofuel. Subscribe HERE
Read More
Advanced
Biofuel Research Project Backed by EU
The Biofuels Research Infrastructure for Sharing Knowledge
project – a new European research project -has been funded to the tune
of 10.84 million Euros by the European Commission Seventh Framework
Programme.
Enzyme
Accelerates Biofuel Ethanol Production from Wastes
Danish biofuel enzyme specialist, has launched its Cellic CTec3 enzyme
for the conversion of agricultural residues and waste to ethanol.
TALKING
HEADS: Digesting Biofuel Drivers
With waste feedstocks playing an increasingly important role in
sustainable biofuel production, Waste Management World asks some of the
industry’s leaders from around the world what they see as the biggest
opportunities and drivers in the market, and how that has been
influenced by the policies of governments.
