Indoor Labs
The indoor research facilities, located at the Qatar University Campus, currently consist of six 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: FWWS 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 greenhouse of 90 m2 was implemented near 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 (Dutch boxes) 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 on large-scale outdoor
cultivation of algae. The Pilot Facility consists of four scale-up sizes of open raceway ponds for algae
cultivation. There are fifteen open raceway ponds for algae cultivation, ranging from 200L to 100,000L. Furthermore,
the facility contains storage for fresh-, salt- 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
The Aquaculture and Fisheries Research Station at Ras Matbakh, which is managed by the Ministry of Municipality,
houses several laboratories which are being used by Qatar University. These labs have been furnished by the ministry
and equipped by the Office for Research and Graduate Studies at Qatar University. Three labs assigned to the CSD
have each been designated for the following activities:
Culture Collection Lab: This lab will be for the Qatar University Culture Collection of Microalgae & Cyanobacteria
and be used as a back-up location. This lab will store these strains in both liquid and solid cultures as well as in
liquid nitrogen at -80 ˚C. Further, in case a sterile subculture of any of these strains is required for any project
at the facility, these back up would be very useful. It is also expected that this lab will also be used for
isolating new strains.
Cultivation Lab: The second laboratory will be dedicated to small-scale cultivation experiments to: (1) compare the
growth and metabolites production under specific growth conditions, (2) optimize the growth conditions (i.e.,
nutrients, light, salinity, etc.) of microalgae that will lead to the synthesis of any specific metabolites. This
lab will also be used to monitor the metabolites productivity, biological contamination, and culture stability of
the Algae Production Facility.
Downstream Processing Lab: The third laboratory will be used for characterizing and downstream processing of
biomass. After harvesting the biomass, the cellular composition of the biomass (i.e., terms of protein, lipid,
carbohydrate, different pigments content) will be quantified. This lab will also have facilities to (1) extract and
purify multiple high-value metabolites of interest from the biomass, and (2) valorize the biomass.
There are also plans to further expand the culture collection activities with a liquid storage room at the Ras
Matbakh facility.