Within the Purple4Life project, Nofima contributes its expertise in fish feed formulation and production, fish nutrition and the evaluation of how functional ingredients such as purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) influence fish performance, health, welfare and product...
Within the Purple4Life project, Comenius University, Faculty of Medicine (UNIBA), based in Bratislava, Slovakia, is an active participant in this European initiative. Our team contributes expertise in mitochondrial medicine, antioxidants, and oxidative stress. What is...
TU Delft develops smart, energy-efficient purple bacteria cultivation systems. In Purple4Life, the team pioneers discontinuous lighting strategies and metabolic flexibility to reduce costs and environmental impact, making sustainable protein production economically viable.
Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is a world-leading technical university ranked 3rd globally in Water Resources. As a key partner in Purple4Life, TU Delft brings expertise in environmental biotechnology, water management, and sustainability assessment to develop cost-effective and circular PPB production systems.
TU Delft has pioneered PPB research through major European projects including NextGen (cultivating purple bacteria on brewery effluent), Saraswati 2.0 (pilot-scale PPB recovery from municipal sewage in India), and MELISSA (testing bacterial resilience in space missions). The team has developed advanced mechanistic models and control systems specifically for PPB cultivation, enabling smart and responsive bioprocess management.
TU Delft contributes to Work Package 1 on bioprocess optimization. Led by Dr. Ralph Lindeboom, the team develops an innovative cultivation strategy using fruit-based beverage process water and syngas, demonstrating metabolic flexibility that valorizes diverse industrial waste streams. TU Delft leads Task 1.4 on discontinuous lighting strategies—a breakthrough approach that reduces energy costs by coordinating PPB cultivation with real-time electricity prices and renewable energy availability.
TU Delft’s expertise extends through PurpleGain COST Action (Ralph organized the 3rd PurpleGain Workshop in Delft, 2023), PurpleDaze (interdisciplinary TU Delft initiative on PPB research), and international collaborations on resource recovery and circular water systems including EU H2020 Water-Mining and TRANSCEND projects on sustainable aviation fuels.
Dr. Ralph Lindeboom (Assistant Professor, Water Management) leads process engineering and control systems development. Dr. Samarpita Roy (Assistant Professor, Biotechnology) contributes microbial ecology and metagenomics expertise to optimize bacterial metabolism and community function. Dr. Mar Palmeros Parada (Assistant Professor, Water Management) ensures sustainability and circularity through responsible innovation frameworks and life cycle assessments. Together, they bridge engineering, life sciences, and social sciences to create PPB production systems that work in the real world—economically, environmentally, and socially.