EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS
Published: March 17, 2014 1:06 pm ET
Updated: March 17, 2014 1:14 pm ET
Spanish research institute Aimplas, and 14 European partners, have launched a project that aims to cultivate microalgae in photobioreactors, which need only sunlight and industrial CO2 emissions, to produce different products for the chemical industry.
The European Commission financed project, Bisigodos, is an initiative that aims to select and cultivate new varieties of these organisms to produce artificial fuel and then commercialize the research through Bio Fuel Systems SA, a company based in Alicante, Spain.
The scope of the project and its ambitious objectives require the participation of partners from different fields.
In a first phase, the project activity includes the selection and cultivation of the best varieties of microalgae in photobioreactors from the laboratory which will also be optimized to achieve the highest possible volume of the product.
Microalgae have rapid growth rates in CO2-rich environments. Therefore, more than 150 metric tons of dry biomass per hectare can annually be produced in those photobioreactors. | 
