Infraestructuras

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The facilities of the Biotechnology Unit at UHU, affiliated with RENSMA and the Faculty of Experimental Sciences, are primarily located within the scientific and technological park owned by UHU in the Huelva Empresarial Park. This includes the CIDERTA building and a pilot experimental plant in biotechnology. The Biotechnology Unit at UHU, affiliated with RENSMA, has approximately 800 m² of experimental space at CIDERTA dedicated exclusively to R&D activities in biotechnology and bio-chemistry of microorganisms, mainly extremophiles. The infrastructure used is distributed between the interior and exterior of the CIDERTA building. The internal facilities of the Biotechnology Unit include four laboratories on the upper floor of the CIDERTA building, a large climate-controlled chamber equipped for experiments with photosynthetic microorganisms, a preparation room for inoculants and operation of laboratory photobioreactors with a capacity of 4,000 L of culture, and an experimental plant with three distinct areas, equipped for research in microalgae biotechnology with photobioreactors.ala piloto.

In the rear exterior area of the CIDERTA building, the Biotechnology Unit operates two specialized greenhouse facilities, which are equipped and automated for pilot-scale pre-industrial experimentation in biotechnology and biochemistry of photosynthetic microorganisms. These facilities feature numerous types of photobioreactors to conduct research under various physicochemical conditions. Covering an approximate area of 400 m², these installations have been specially designed with alignment to Circular Economy principles for the development of R&D in sustainable biotechnological processes. The technological facilities have been developed with competitive funding from the European Union and other European biotechnology R&D entities through close collaboration between the parties. As a result, the University of Huelva now hosts a unique facility, one of the few public Microalgae Biotechnology Experimentation and Transfer Centers in Andalucia.

Among the numerous resources for research in microalgae biochemistry and biotechnology, these facilities include various current configurations of semi-automated photobioreactors for laboratory-scale (prototypes), indoor pilot, and outdoor pre-industrial research. The experimental plant also has all the auxiliary equipment necessary for R&D in microalgae bioprocesses, including centrifugation up to pre-industrial capacity, drying, lyophilization, cold storage, and sustainable water recovery.

The scientific equipment available at the UBM allows for biochemical, physiological, and analytical determinations. The main equipment available includes two HPLC chromatographs with different detectors, a gas chromatograph, spectrophotometry with a Peltier system, fluorometry for photobiochemistry studies, a Clark-type oxygen electrode, flow cytometry, a cell counter, optical microscopy with photographic capture, several PCR systems, and gel chromatography, among others.

The co-location of the UBM and the Scientific-Technical Services of UHU in the CIDERTA building facilitates daily interaction between UBM researchers and the qualified technical staff of the Services. This significantly enhances the speed and accuracy in adapting Service methodologies to meet the specific analytical service demands of the UBM.

Main Scientific Resources Available:

Laboratory

• Biochemistry Laboratory, second floor, block 5 of the Faculty of Experimental Sciences.
• Algae Biotechnology Laboratory, temporarily assigned in the CIDERTA building for the development of the FP7 Splash and Miracles projects.
• Outdoor pilot plant for microalgae biotechnology experimentation at the University of Huelva, located at CIDERTA.

Biochemistry and experimental production of microalgae.

• Climate-controlled room for cultivation and experimentation with microalgae.
• Vertical panel laboratory photobioreactors with automation and control.
• Floor-standing tubular photobioreactor (max. 5000 liters).
• Vertical tubular photobioreactor (800 liters).
• Semi-intensive production in bags in a cultivation room (up to 2500 liters).
• Open experimental production systems with tank-circuit agitation.
• Laboratory and semi-industrial centrifugation.
• Laboratory and semi-industrial autoclaves.
• Lyophilizer and vacuum sealer.
• Climate chamber simulating day-night cycles, with control of temperature, light, and humidity.
• Oxygen electrodes.
• PAM fluorometry systems for photobiochemical activity determination.
• Fluorometry for lipid and cellular state determination.
• HPLC-array and gas chromatography.
• Optical microscopy with image analysis system and cell counting.
• Cell disruption systems.
• Automated multi-point lipid extraction.
• Spectrophotometry.

Molecular biology

• Protein and nucleic acid chromatography systems
• -80°C ultracold freezers
• PCR (mastercycler) and real-time PCR systems