9th Joint Call: GeoAlganery

9th Joint Call: GeoAlganery

The GeoAlganery project promotes a circular economy by using geothermal water as a sustainable medium for cultivating microalgae (Spirulina) and macroalgae (Ulva). Through nutrient rich geothermal resources, the project enhances biomass productivity while reducing the need for synthetic media and freshwater. The harvested biomass is used to produce high value bioproducts such as pigments and ulvan based biopolymers. Residual biomass streams are converted into biofuels and biofertilizers, ensuring a zero waste approach.
The project advances scalable biomass farming systems from laboratory to pilot levels and prepares for industrial implementation. It supports sustainable innovation across Türkiye, the Czech Republic, and Indonesia, while aligning with SDGs related to clean energy, responsible production, and climate action. Outcomes will be shared through publications, workshops, and stakeholder engagement to foster long term collaboration and uptake of the developed technologies.
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Background

Biomass production for food, materials, and energy increasingly requires sustainable and resource‑efficient cultivation methods. Geothermal water offers a naturally warm, nutrient‑rich medium that can support algal growth without synthetic inputs or additional heating. Microalgae and macroalgae are promising candidates for circular‑economy applications because they grow rapidly, require minimal land, and can be processed into diverse high‑value products.

Conventional algal farming often depends on costly media, controlled environments, and large water demand. By using geothermal water, the GeoAlganery project reduces environmental pressures while enabling efficient cultivation and conversion of biomass. The approach integrates renewable energy, innovative bioproduct synthesis, and waste valorisation into a single system that supports sustainable production pathways.

The project

GeoAlganery focuses on developing geothermal‑based algal cultivation systems and converting biomass into valuable, market‑ready bioproducts. Key objectives include:

  • Optimizing Spirulina and Ulva cultivation parameters using geothermal water.
  • Producing high‑value products such as pigments and ulvan‑based polymers.
  • Implementing a zero‑waste framework by transforming residual biomass into biofuels and biofertilizers.
  • Scaling up from laboratory cultivation to pilot‑scale systems and preparing pathways for industrial deployment.
  • Evaluating market readiness and strengthening stakeholder engagement across regions.

The science

The scientific work combines algal biotechnology, geothermal resource utilisation, bioprocessing, and circular‑economy engineering:

  • Cultivation science: optimisation of growth conditions for Spirulina and Ulva using geothermal water resources.
  • Bioproduct extraction: isolation of functional compounds including pigments and ulvan‑based biopolymers.
  • Waste valorisation: conversion of residual biomass into biofuels and nutrient‑rich biofertilizers.
  • Biorefinery approaches integrating multiple processing stages for maximum resource efficiency.
  • Techno‑economic, environmental, and socio‑economic assessments supporting scalability and industrial uptake.

The team

The GeoAlganery partners are:

Dr. Oya Irmak Cebeci (Coordinator), Yalova University, Türkiye 

Dr. Riahna Kembaren, Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences (i3L), Indonesia

Dr. Jose Carlos Cheel Horna, Institute of Microbiology, CAS – Centre ALGATECH, Czech Republic

Dr. Taner Senol, SOLAGRON, Türkiye

Contact:

Dr. Oya Irmak Cebeci                 oyairmak@gmail.com 

Tags
ENVIRONMENT/CLIMATE CHANGE