Aim:
The aim of this task is to valorise end-of-process marine biorefinery streams by recovering energy, nutrients, and high-value products to achieve near zero-waste operation. It focuses on integrating mannitol recovery, anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, wastewater treatment, and algal remediation into a circular, end-stage biorefinery system. The task also develops sustainable fertiliser products and energy solutions that enable environmental, economic, and resource efficiency at scale.
Activities & Outputs:
Extraction and purification of mannitol from macroalgal process effluents and assessment of commercial viability.
Fungal and yeast fermentation of residual streams to generate secondary metabolites and enzymes.
Characterisation and optimisation of anaerobic digestion (AD) for methane production from marine liquid wastes.
Pyrolysis of mollusc shells to produce lime-char and assessment of bio-oil energy potential.Treatment of wastewater and AD digestate
Formulation of marine-based fertilisers using lime-char, AD solids, and algal biomass.
Agronomic testing of fertilisers across multiple soil types and crops in Ireland.
OTHER TASKS
