Microalgae Biodiversity and Biotechnology

Microalgae are photosynthetic, ubiquitous microorganisms that can be found in the most inhospitable habitats such as snow, bare rocks, desert soils or hot springs. In aquatic ecosystems they represent the base of the food chain and produce organic matter from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water. They are also responsible for producing most of the oxygen needed for the metabolism of aerobic organisms. Being among the most important marine and freshwater resources used as raw material in the blue bioeconomy, its contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is recognized, namely in promoting prosperity and general well-being and improving of human and animal nutrition. Despite this importance, knowledge and exploitation of microalgae are still at a very early stage. This course addresses the biodiversity of microalgae and various aspects of its real or potential biotechnological interest.
 

The course is organized into four topics and is essentially practical, in a laboratory environment using various equipment, namely photobioreactor with parameter control, HPLC-DAD/RID; GC-FID, etc, and may involve field activities.

Topic I Biodiversity and importance of microalgae - polyphasic approaches

Topic II Cultivation of microalgae – from laboratory to pilot scale

Topic III Biomass collection methodologies and extract production

Topic IV Methodologies for analysis of algal extracts - interpretation of results and applications