ABACUS is a 3-year project aiming at a business-oriented and technology-driven development of a new algal biorefinery, thereby bringing to the market innovative algae-based ingredients for high-end applications, with focus on algal terpenes for fragrances to long-chain terpenoids (carotenoids) for nutraceuticals and cosmetic actives.

The concept of ABACUS will associate several interdisciplinary approaches in order to support a high-value products market development oriented :

• 1-Selection and Biological engineering of microalgal strains and oriented photosynthesis of terpenoids*
• 2-Technological development of algae biomass production system to optimize cultivation and photosynthesis of terpenoids
• 3-Technological development of the dowstream processing step to reduce harvesting time and costs (both investment and operational costs), and to be environmentally acceptable
• 4-Market development oriented to new added value algae bio-based materials and new bio based value chain production
  
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• *Terpenoids are molecules that can be found in photosynthetic microorganisms like plants or algae. They represent a renewable alternative to petroleum-derived fuel and building blocks of synthetic biopolymers as well as high value compounds for cosmetic and nutraceutical uses
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ABACUS presentation

ABACUS flyer

ABACUS poster