Biotechnology

Study in the area of biorefining at the ICPF is carried out in the Research Group of Catalysis and Reaction Engineering. Biorefining and biotechnology these days are producing new and desired products. The group was the leading entity at the BIORAF Centre of Competence, BIOCIRTECH National Centre of Competence and now leads the National Centres of Competence 2 – Biorefining and Circular Economy for Sustainability. These projects are undertaken with academic and industry partners to solve problems related, for example, to the creation of new products such as joint supplements from poultry cartilage or cosmetic and anti-inflammatory dermatological agents from plants, and to the isolation of essential unsaturated fatty acids from microalgae. We are currently working with the medical community to solve issues related to the adhesion of animal cells to various biopolymer meshes and membranes produced by an original method of electrospinning.

Study in the field of microbial biotechnologies at the ICPF is undertaken by the Research Group of Algal and Microbial Biotechnology. The core of this research lies in the utilization of microorganisms in environmental and food technologies. This involves primarily unicellular eukaryotic algae and cyanobacteria, but also bacteria and yeasts. Important activities include optimization and scale-up of cultivation processes, including the development of photobioreactors, optimization of separation processes, and innovation of downstream processes, drawing significantly on findings gained from fundamental research on multiphase hydrodynamics carried out within the department.