Marine biosciences at the National Research Council
Marine Biosciences at the NRC
(Halifax, Nova Scotia)
The National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC) Halifax laboratory operates an integrated biorefinery for research, development and demonstration activities including those related to algae-derived biofuels. The end goal is to contribute to the development of an algae-derived biofuels industry which does not compete with agricultural land or inputs (including freshwater) and has the potential to sequester carbon dioxide from industrial sources, thereby contributing to the overall abatement of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Types of R&D conducted
- Screening and identification of microalgae strains for use in biofuel production
- Development of photobioreactors for mass production of algal biomass in temperate climates
- Optimization of algal cultivation conditions including the utilization of carbon dioxide from industrial flue gases and recovery of ammonia and phosphate from municipal wastewater
- Optimization of processing and conversion technologies for the production of renewable energy from algal lipids and non-lipid algal biomass
- Advanced lipid profiling for enhanced fatty acid analysis and identification
- Discovery, characterization and development of novel marine bioactives and toxins to determine their impacts on human health and wellness
- Production of certified reference materials for marine and freshwater biotoxins
- Discovery and validation of biomarkers
- Molecular structure elucidation and characterization
- Advanced bioassays (in vivo & in vitro) including zebrafish based disease models
Services
NRC is well equipped to help businesses achieve cohesive, integrated and timely solutions to complex R&D problems for both Canadian and global markets. Each year NRC scientists, engineers and business experts work closely with thousands of firms, helping them bring new technologies to market. Through research collaborations, community innovation, industry support and commercialization opportunities, firms benefit from NRC’s expertise, services, facilities and licensing opportunities while increasing their own innovation potential.
NRC’s leading-edge facilities provide businesses, universities and government partners with access to state-of-the-art equipment as well as results-driven research and training programs. NRC also offers fee-for-service testing equipment to help businesses accelerate their design cycles.
NRC’s Industrial Partnership Facilities, also known as “business incubators,” provide businesses the opportunity to co-locate with the NRC, enabling them to tap into the organization’s multidisciplinary resources and build successful partnerships.
Partners and collaboration opportunities
NRC works with industry, governments, universities and other partners to leverage resources and advance clean energy technologies to commercialization.
NRC’s Halifax laboratory offers research collaboration opportunities for companies and organizations active in life sciences and marine biosciences. Our scientists in the areas of algal biofuels, marine bioactives, biomarkers and marine toxins are top in their fields and active in projects with companies and labs in Canada, the United States and others outside North America.
In the area of algal biofuels, NRC has collaborated with producers of algal oils and companies with carbon capture and extraction technologies. Photobioreactors developed by NRC for algal production are a key technology for many of these collaborations. NRC has joined forces with the United States Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado and Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. NRC also works horizontally with other partners within its own organization, such as aerospace, that are interested in alternate fuel sources. We offer opportunities to train highly qualified personnel in algal biology and the production of biofuels.
In the areas of biomarkers, marine toxins, and algae for bioactives, NRC has collaborated with Canadian and international companies, universities and hospitals. Several key technologies and products have been introduced to the market as a result of the close partnerships between our researchers and business partners.
Research collaborations are initiated with both partners agreeing on the required work and financial contributions. Collaborations may involve multiple parties and outline options for transferring the technology after agreement completion. Research agreements can range from collaborations to fee-for-service agreements.
Potential collaborators are encouraged to contact us.
“I began working with NRC in 2009 when we put together a project plan for a collaborative effort that included NRC, NREL, Sandia National Laboratories and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with joint funding to be supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Clean Energy Dialogue. (…) This workshop opened our eyes to the breadth and depth of expertise in both microalgal and macroalgal R&D taking place in Halifax. I can speak for all of my U.S. colleagues when I state that we were impressed with the quality of work taking place at NRC both in terms of personnel and resources. (…) From a U.S. perspective, algal cultivation for biofuels is largely thought to be confined to the southern states. This collaboration has gone a long way in challenging that attitude and our collaboration could open up the opportunity for vast areas in Canada and the northern U.S. to play a role in this vital approach for commercialization of algal biofuels.”
- Philip T. Pienkos, Ph.D., Supervisor, Applied Biology, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Unique or high-value hardware and/or software
- NRC operates a marine research station located on the Atlantic coast
- High-capacity sea water pumping station (up to 9000 L/min) with chilling and heating capacity
- Multiple conviron environmental growth chambers for controlled algal growth
- Intensive microalgae batch (total capacity 12,000 L) cultivation using Brite-Box photobioreactors and continuous (2,400 L) cultivation using Biofence photobioreactors
- Dynasep supercritical CO2 bioactive extraction system
- Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Platform complete with 700 MHz NMR equipped with two ultra-high sensitivity helium cooled probes and automated sample changer offering high throughput capacity
- Analytical Platform equipped with numerous liquid chromatography and gas chromatography systems with MS, DAD, CAD, and fluorescence detection
- Advanced Mass Spectrometry Platform complete with thermo exactive mass spectrometer, Waters QTOF, and Ionspec FT-ICR Mass Spectrometer
- Imaging Platform complete with Hitachi scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopes
- Omics Platform with expertise in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and research informatics
Contact
National Research Council of Canada
Halifax Laboratory
1411 Oxford Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3H 3Z1, Canada
1-877-672-2672
Jason Steele
Business Development Office
1-866-207-4773
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