ACRRES - Aquatic biomass facility

The facility offers companies the opportunity to convert residual streams into valuable raw materials. At the ACRRES site in Lelystad, various cultivation systems and test installations are available - from small reactors for controlled experiments to scalable systems for pilot trials in open ponds, constructed wetlands and larger algae bioreactors.

Here we develop and test technologies for growing algae, aquatic plants and other aquatic organisms on nutrient-rich water-based residual streams, such as process water from the food industry or the liquid fraction of digestate from biogas production. Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphate are efficiently reused in the process.

The cultivated biomass provides valuable components including proteins, fats and bioactive compounds such as antioxidants and pigments. These can be used in animal feed, food ingredients, biobased materials, or as plant stimulants or soil improvers.

The Aquatic Biomass Facility is part of the Application Centre for Renewable Resources and Energy (ACRRES) of Wageningen University & Research. Together with algae producers, technology developers, end-users and agri-food companies, we work on more efficient and sustainable production systems.

The facility is relevant for companies in the agri-food, technology and algae industries, as well as for parties interested in reusing residual streams or developing new biobased products. Research institutes and governmental bodies will also find a practice-oriented partner here for sustainable biomass innovation.