Exploitation of a hybrid photobioreactor for the cultivation and refining of microalgae

The internship will be located in Saint-Nazaire (Loire Atlantique, 44) within the Laboratory of Process Engineering and Agri-Food Environment (GEPEA, UMR CNRS 6144, Nantes University) which brings together teams from Nantes University, École Mines Telecom and ONIRIS. It will be carried out within the "Bioprocesses applied to microalgae" team (~ 40 people) which works on the valorization of microalgae (photobioreactor engineering, algorefinery, extraction and purification).

Context
Microalgae have very promising biotechnological valorization potential (biofuels, food and feed,
nutraceuticals, etc.). Microalgae can release high added value extracellular compounds (EXT-C) into
the biological environment. These EXT-C present interesting bioactivities and/or techno-functional
properties. The quantities secreted vary depending on the physiological state, the culture conditions
and the strain of the microalgae. EXT-C are often in low concentration but given the large volumes of
culture medium, the mass of recoverable compounds is not negligible. Their recovery contributes to
the valorization of the entire culture medium (biorefining), useful for reducing production costs.
Classically, the extraction and purification of extracellular compounds secreted by microalgae in their
culture media require numerous complex refining steps and can lead to cell death of the biomass.
Furthermore, the concentration of microalgae in photo-bioreactors is often limited due to leaching of
the biomass. The internship is part of the PHOTOCOM-BIOEXTRA project co-supported by the
Biotechnology Chair of CentraleSupélec and the GEPEA laboratory within the framework of a prematuration
program funded by the CNRS. It aims to support emerging projects with high potential for
innovation, technology or use.
Objective of the internship
The objective of this internship is the exploitation of an innovative photobioreactor to maximize the
cultivation of microalgae (high cell density) while exploring potential ways of valorizing the
biomasses produced (extraction and biocompatible pre-purification of extracellular compounds). The
system will allow the intensification of the cultivation (increased cell density) and the refining of
microalgae by extraction of extracellular compounds.

 Student in the final year of Master’s degree (M2) or in an engineering school with a specialization
in (Bio)Process Engineering, Biotechnologies and Microbiology.
 Bioprocesses and analytical methods knowledge
 Technical skills in lab work (operation under sterile conditions)
 Knowledge and/or experience in microalgae cultivation (photobioreactors or similar processes:
assembly, operation and maintenance)
 Desired qualities: rigor, autonomy, curiosity, ability to read scientific articles and write reports
(French, English), teamwork.