REGAIN: Remediation of Emission Gases by Algae Integration
The agricultural sector is facing increasing pressure to reduce nitrogen emissions and to comply with stringent environmental targets at national and EU levels. Current chemical air scrubbers can effectively capture ammonia emissions, but produce large amounts of ammonia salts that are either returned to the field or treated as waste. REGAIN tackles this challenge by integrating current emission treatment systems with microalgal cultivation processes to convert these low-grade waste streams into high-value biomass, while focusing on insect rearing as a model for other livestock systems.
A second challenge is the slow development of the microalgae sector, despite extensive research and investment over the past decades. A major limiting factor is the gap between experimental research and industrial implementation, as challenges at large-scale are not adequately captured in lab-scale studies. REGAIN addresses this gap by (i) establishing engineering-driven and molecularly grounded process development pipelines for robust microalgal cultivation processes, and (ii) leveraging interactions between algae and associated bacteria in non-axenic cultures to enhance performance and stability.
Results
• D1.1: A comprehensive dataset on NH₃ emissions across scales, including a nitrogen balance report, as direct feed for LCA/TEA analysis in WP4 and allowing to develop reliable emission factors for insect rearing
• D1.2: Operational prototype of a simplified acid air scrubber, for use in the pilot-scale demonstration in WP4
• D2.1: Comprehensive dataset of acidophilic microalgae grown under a wide range of external conditions
• D2.2. Operational window for robust and resilient cultivation of selected acidophilic microalgae
• D2.3: Hybrid modelling framework linking macromolecular and metabolomic responses to operational conditions in photobioreactors
• D2.4: Full characterization of biofouling risks and non-axenicity impact associated to large-scale cultivation
• D2.5: Predictable cultivation for G. sulphuraria in pilot-scale photobioreactors
• D3.1: Functionally resolved collection of growth-supporting algal-associated bacterial isolates
• D3.2: Designed bacterial assemblages validated across microalgal hosts for scale-up applications
• D3.3: General principles describing how algal symbiotic bacteria alleviate physiological growth limitations
• D4.1: Integrated pilot-scale demonstration setup
• D4.2: LCA report on environmental impact
• D4.3: TEA report on economic feasibility
Valorisation deliverables
• VD1: Development of reliable emission factors of insect production facilities for evidence-based regulatory frameworks based on a comprehensive dataset across scales
• VD2: Process development pipelines and data package for fast development of novel algal cultivation processes
• VD3: Strategic follow-up research building further on the knowledge base of bacterial isolates
• VD4: A functionally characterised collection of symbiotic bacteria that enables the development of patentable microalgae–bacterial assemblages with proven performance-enhancing effects
• VD5: Valorisation roadmap as a guidance document for stakeholders
