Noblegen Inc.
Challenge/Opportunity:
Noblegen Inc. is an advanced biotechnology company that is dedicated to developing cost-effective, naturally-derived ingredients for the human nutrition industry by commercially cultivating microorganisms. By enhancing the microorganism’s natural mechanisms, Noblegen can encourage rapid growth and conversion of flexible low-value inputs into multiple high-value ingredients.
Encapsulation of non-living algae (as spent biomass) in a calcium alginate matrix provides a significant affinity for binding of metals. These binding properties of spent biomass can be used to recover valuable heavy metal by-products from wastewater effluents or provide a cost-effective, environmentally friendly solution to heavy metal contamination from such wastewater effluents. Currently, Noblegen’s capacity for creating the encapsulated biomass is very small and currently has limited production capability. Through its partnership with Lambton College, Noblegen’s will look to create a more efficient and robust automated encapsulation process, to increase Noblegen’s production in allowing Noblegen to become more effective in their production of this encapsulated product. The goal of this relationship is to develop an automated production process/device, from an existing lab-scale design, that can increase/improve production of encapsulated cells.
Solution/Collaboration:
This process/device could be expanded into other research disciplines/industries that use encapsulation applications (therapeutic and non-therapeutic). This project would allow Noblegen to greatly increase their production abilities, allowing them to expand into a variety of industries that could potentially benefit from the biosorption capacity of this product.
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