Facilities

Indoor Labs

The indoor research facilities, located at the Qatar University Campus, currently consist of five dedicated laboratories with state of the art equipment.

• BCR C123: Culture Collection & Cell Physiology: houses the Qatar University Culture Collection of Cyanobacteria and Microalgae (QUCCCM).
  
• BCR C129: Indoor Algae Cultivation & Photobioreactors: dedicated to algae cultivation with environmental growth chambers, shaker incubators and photo-bioreactors.
  
• BCR C128: Screening, Analytical Biochemistry & Molecular Biology: The third laboratory focuses on the extraction and (biochemical) analysis of metabolites and valuable products from biomass. with TOC, GC, HPLC, as well as high-end DNA sequence analysis.
  
• BCR C227: FEWWS Lab: Food-Water-Waste Sustainability Program Lab is dedicated to solid and liquid samples reception, storing and processing including weighing, drying as well as routine analysis and testing such as pH, EC, FW, DW, and phytotoxicity measurements. This laboratory also hosts the Sustainable Renewable Energy program.
  
• BCR C225: Biotechnology Lab: This lab is dedicated to microbiology work with the isolation, characterization, and identification of novel natural microorganisms from Qatar's extreme environment, such as bacteria, archaea, and fungi, to build the first Qatar biobank of extremophiles. Furthermore, several experiments on biomass production via fermentation, strain improvement via genetic engineering, and "in vitro bioassays" are performed here.
• C01-D124: Greenhouse preparation and post-harvest Lab: This laboratory is dedicated to harvesting, storing, and analyzing the biomass of microalgae and agricultural crops and conducting experiments.

Agricultural Greenhouse

An experimental plastic greenhouse of 90 m2 has been implemented at the vicinity of C01 building within QU campus to carry out different cultivation trials in hydroponics. This greenhouse has automated pad cooling and fertigation systems. The greenhouse contains 6 cultivation lines of 31 hydroponic containers each using cocopeat as substrate.Research is directed at promoting vegetable crop production using various sustainable treatments and minimum dependence on pesticides to promote organic production. As an example, enhancing the commercial substrate with inert adsorbing materials such as lignocellulosic biochar’s has the advantage of improving water and nutrient retention as well as water use efficiency by the plants at reduced costs. On the other hand, testing new crop varieties of high priority in Qatar combined to sustainable treatments using new developed bio and nano-biofertilizers is envisaged to increase crop production and extend the cultivation season with respect to commercial greenhouses in Qatari farms.

Biotech Greenhouse

A pilot-scale microalgae cultivation facility utilizing closed systems, including serpentine and vertical photobioreactors (PBR), as well as open raceway ponds (ORP), has been established on the Qatar University Campus. The vertical photobioreactors are available in two capacities of 10L and 100L, while the serpentine PBRs are offered in four different capacities: 66L, 609L, 1218L, and 3000L. The PBRs are specifically designed to facilitate a gradual scale-up of microalgae culture, resulting in increased productivity of high-quality biomass. The open raceway ponds consist of two with a capacity of 150L and two with a capacity of 1000L. More interestingly, the incorporation of both cultivation systems not only caters to various promising strains but also allows for hybrid cultivation, transitioning from PBR to ORP. This hybrid approach is more sustainable, enabling high productivity with lower production costs. Moreover, the facility is equipped with a greenhouse covering, enhancing economic feasibility in Qatar's harsh climate by enabling year-round biomass production. This covered cultivation system is further enhanced with industrial-grade downstream processing equipment, including an industrial centrifuge, a homogenizer, and a pelletizer, ensuring the final production of high-quality poultry feed. This facility stands as the first of its kind in Qatar, showcasing a pioneering effort in advancing microalgae cultivation technology in the region for the development of several applications, including food/feed production, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.

Outdoor Algae Research Facility

The outdoor research facility, located in Northern Qatar, was established for the research into large-scale outdoor cultivation of algae. The Pilot Facility consists of four scale-up sizes of open raceway ponds for algae cultivation. There are a total of fifteen open raceway ponds for algae cultivation, ranging from 200L to 100,000L. Furthermore, the facility contains storage for freshwater, seawater- and wastewater, an industrial standard water-sterilization unit, a basic laboratory for monitoring, as well as a high-end industrial centrifuge for biomass harvesting. The Pilot facility is a valuable resource that illustrates the potential for commercialization of the developed technologies, and is unique for Qatar and the region.As the facility was established in 2012, bulk of the instruments need either maintenance or replacement. Several new appliances are also needed; lack of adequate infrastructure even preventing installation and operation of many units that were purchased 2 years ago.  

Ras Matbakh Facilities