Biotechnology

Biotechnology program can be considered as the angular stone in the CSD’s focus area since it exploits the properties of microorganisms (microalgae, bacteria, fungi, etc.), as well as their diversity and metabolites, their efficiency and their specificity, to bio remediate various waste streams and manufacture products in sectors such as food and feed. This program aimed initially for implementing and preserving a local culture collection formed principally by microalgae, which is extended to include bacteria and fungi. Unique strains isolated from the harsh environment in Qatar are used for the production of food/feed, nutraceuticals, and bioenergy. Furthermore, novel algal strains have been used to develop new bioprocesses for CO2 capture and sequestration, bioremediation of waste and produced water, and nutrients recovery. For coping with the growing development of the different sectors, particularly, agriculture, aquaculture, environment and health, this program is focused also on enhancing the production of food/feed supplements, nutraceuticals, crops, clean water, and renewable energy. Moreover, our team is conducting life cycle analysis, technoeconomic analysis, and socioeconomic studies of bioremediation processes and bio-based products development. Finally, developing environmental monitoring tools based on eDNA and metagenomics to assess the impacts of divers’ anthropogenic factors on the marine and terrestrial biodiversity is one of our high research priorities.