We are microalgae biotechnologists experts in culture protocols and modeling. We have had a few successes in wastewater treatment, photobioreactor design, and intensified culture. Furthermore, we are leading an initiative for microalgae integration into building facades.
Papers: - Bioremediation ==> Systematic formulation of brewery effluent for high-efficiency epuration and food-grade microalgae production. Pozzobon, V., Lemaire, J. & Lagirarde, J. (2024). Bioresource Technology Reports, 25, 101795. Photosynthesis in bioremediation. Levasseur, W., & Pozzobon, V. (2022). In Microbes and Microbial Biotechnology for Green Remediation (pp. 247-263). Elsevier. - Urban integration ==> Microalgae bio-reactive façade: Location and weather-based systematic optimization. Pozzobon, V. (2024). Building and Environment, 253, 111352. Microalgae bio-reactive façade: A radiative-convective model powered by hourly illumination computation and historical weather data. Pozzobon, V. (2024). Journal of Building Engineering, 90, 109407.
Topic 1. Enhancement of water circularity in industries
Topic 2. Urban water circularity
Topic 3. Resource recovery and valorization
Our current and past actions make us believe that we could have a potential technical solution to the challenge thanks to this call: cleaning building wastewater (e.g., human urine) by growing microalgae in a photobioreactor attached to a facade. It would yield cleaner water, close to its usage site, and allow the cycling of nitrogen and phosphorous (microalgae are very good at capturing them). We are also interested in any other stream, such as urine, food-grade food industry sidestream, or any industrial liquid waste stream (not too toxic).
This would, of course, be a demonstration unit; we will not be able to cover all the city walls. Finally, the question of the use of the produced microalgae will be relevantly addressed by either using them as biofertilizers (closing N and P cycles) in the city green places or as biofuel.
microalgae, biofacade, nitrogen, phosphorous, cycling, wastewater, city, urban, removal
Anytime for a video meeting :) Principal Investigator webpage: https://victorpozzobon.github.io/