The biomass processing laboratory, also called the "seaweed lab", has been established for processing and biorefinery of seaweed and kelp, but is also used for other types of raw materials. The facilities include equipment for mechanical processing, chemical and enzymatic processing, separation and filtration, concentration and purification of products, drying, and analysis/process monitoring. The laboratory is equipped to run experiments from lab to small pilot scale (<100 L), to develop processes and produce prototypes of products and ingredients with our partners. Several of the equipment belong to the Norwegian Seaweed Centre (NFR INFRA).
Equipment
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Mechanical processing: Grinding, crushing, kneading, pressing.
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30 and 100 litre glass reactors with stirring, temperature control (-40-200 C⁰), pH monitor, and efficient intake/withdrawal of sample material.
- Equipment for solid and liquid phase separation: Hydropress (90 L), centrifuge (8x 1 L), Lemitec lab decanter (continuous centrifugation)
- Ambr Crossflow for småskala separasjon og analyse av makromolekyler (4 parallelle automatiserte forsøk, 5 mL arbeidsvolum)
- Ulike filtreringssystemer for fjerning av partikler og rensing med aktivt kull: Nutsche vakuumfilter (30 L), lab-skala filterpresser, FUNDABAC®-filter
- Hei-VAP Industriell vakuuminndamper med arbeidsvolum opp til 10 L, tilpasset ulike løsningsmidler, og oppvarming til 180⁰C
- Elementar analyzer vario EL cube: Analyse av karbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, svovel og oksygen (CHNSO) i prøver.
- Spray and freeze drying
Examples of applications
- Development and optimization of biorefinery processes
- Chemical and enzymatic modification of polysaccharides from macroalgae and shellfish
- Extraction and concentration of plant growth stimulants from seaweed and kelp.
- Extraction of fibre from macroalgae and wood for use in textiles and packaging
- Production of food and feed ingredients from biomass and microbially produced raw materials.
- Purification of biopolymers for medical studies
Relaterte prosjekter
FunSea, GP Seaweed, Norsk Taresenter, SFI Industriell Bioteknologi, SeaWeave, Bioneer, BioBive, MicroMar, REMEDIES, SFI Seaweed
All photos, unless other is stated: SINTEF