QU makes headway on algae project

A Qatar University (QU) project to develop sustainable technologies from algae has entered the second phase, officials have said.The Algal Technologies Programme (ATP), of  the university’s  Centre for Sustainable Development, seeks to develop technologies that can use Qatar’s non-fossil fuel resources to protect the environment and diversify economy by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere and producing animal feeds locally.“We are going to scale this up now in the near future so we can go to the demo phase which will take approximately five years, after that we hope to hold the pre-commercial and commercial phases,” research associate Kira Schipper told reporters during a visit, led by French ambassador Eric Chevallier, to the algae plant in Al Khor.The initiative, led by project manager Hareb al-Jabri, started in 2009 with the establishment of the Qatar Advance Bio Fuel Platform which led to the Bio Fuel Project (later rebranded to ATP). The ATP included the establishment of the 100-cubic metre outdoor cultivation unit and carbon sequestration project, in partnership with the Qatari Diar Vinci Construction.The centre currently focuses on producing marine animal feeds, believing it is something more feasible and useful for Qatar in the future. It was seen to help save so much in terms of transporting feed from other countries.According to Schipper, such projects will help Qatar not only in food security but also in diversifying its economy which is an important pillar of the National Vision 2030.In her presentation at QU prior to the on-site visit, she said Qatar is one of the best places in the world to grow algae due to the presence of water, CO2 and sunlight all year-round.With high solar radiation and warm temperatures, the country’s climate is highly suitable for algae production compared with European countries. Qatar is home to more than 200 specialised algae strains which are abundant in many locations from the north to the south, including Zubarah, Thakhira, Al Khawar, The Pearl-Qatar, Fardat Al Samak, Mesaieed, Abu Samra, and Dukhan.Qatar also has large pieces of non-arable lands (which cannot be used for agriculture) where algae can be easily grown. Schipper said they prefer using sea water to grow algae than fresh water which is costly, considering that such valuable resource evaporates faster during summer. Like other plants, algae also absorb CO2 emitted to the atmosphere and turn it back as oxygen.“In a sense they are helping us in our greenhouse problems and Qatar has high CO2 emissions,” Schipper noted.“We need to make it further with algaes and some of these new ideas we are using it for anti-cancer research, some for waste water treatment but we also have an area for commercialisation,” she said.“We don’t want our ideas to stay here in the labs where nothing happens with them, where they get only published in scientific journals, we want to take them to the next level that would mean something for the country,” she stressed. “That is our ultimate goal.”