We all have probably eaten algae at some point – wrapped around maki sushi or in a highly processed form commonly used as a thickening agent in instant meals, such as carrageen. Algae, and microalgae in particular, have also been cultivated at the industrial level since the 1950s with the aim of preserving natural raw materials for a variety of areas of application.

“Just like conventional plants, microalgae perform photosynthesis and extract CO₂ from the air. However, they require far less space and grow significantly faster and therefore much more efficiently,” says Moritz Hamberger (20). “The algae are highly versatile and can be used as food or for the production of industrial raw materials, for example. Additionally, the conflict between food production and the production of biofuels is avoided.”

The latest biotechnological methods are to be used to optimize existing algae strains with the aim of producing fuels that are both carbon-neutral and economically profitable in the future. The necessary procedures have not yet been sufficiently characterized, which is why the focus is on the development of such methods.

The aim of the research project is to create a universal biotechnological platform that will allow microalgae to be used as an efficient supplier of raw materials in the future. The methods that have been developed are to be published as part of a molecular biological toolkit.