| Project Detail |
Duckweeds, freshwater floating aquatic plants, which can grow with industrial wastewater as fertilizer, and have fast growth, high biomass productivity and CO2 fixation capacity. Duckweed has been commonly consumed as a food material in Thailand. Focusing on the symbiosis (holobiont) between the plant and the micro-organisms living inside and outside the plant, the project researches the growth rate and quality.....
Thailand has been responsible for reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since its ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1994 and the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. The importance of climate change adaptation measures was highly recognized in the country by experiencing a large-scale flood in Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River area in 2011, which caused economic and social damage. Following the recognition and the event, the 12th National Economic and Social Development Plan (FY 2017-2021) stated the need to strengthen capacity for planning climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, and at COP 21 in 2015, based on the Paris Agreement, the Government of Thailand set a target to reduce GHG emissions by 20% on BAU by 2030.
Furthermore, in 2015, the Thai Government formulated Thailand 4.0, a national vision to break out of the middle-income countries, in which the Government has promoted the development of agriculture and biotechnology, future food (food processing), biofuels and bio-chemicals, digital industries in order to realize a society that sustainably creates added value with the keywords innovation, productivity and services trade. In line with Thailand 4.0, the Thai Government is promoting the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economic Policy (2021-2026), which aims to combine an economy that can respond to global challenges with the enhancement of agribusiness market value through innovative technologies. Thailand has set a target to become a BCG economic leader and bio-hub in ASEAN by 2027 and is working to strengthen the competitiveness of its target industries through industry-government-academia collaboration.
Under these circumstances, in August 2019, the Government of Thailand requested the Government of Japan to provide Scientific and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development Program (SATREPS) as ‘The Project for Development of the Duckweed Holobiont Resource Values towards Thailand BCG Economy to promote the transition to a low-carbon, recycling-oriented matured society. The natural resources to be researched in the project are Duckweeds, freshwater floating aquatic plants, which can grow with industrial wastewater as fertilizer, and have fast growth, high biomass productivity and CO2 fixation capacity. Duckweed has been commonly consumed as a food material in Thailand. Focusing on the symbiosis (holobiont) between the plant and the micro-organisms living inside and outside the plant, the project researches the growth rate and quality (protein, starch content and other components) of Duckweed which are greatly influenced by the type and number of co-existing micro-organisms, to maximize their potential and utilize them in diverse forms such as biofuels and environmentally friendly materials as alternatives to petroleum-based products. It can contribute to the promotion of the BCG economy by reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions without impeding economic growth.
The Overall Goal
Research activities at the Duckweed Holobiont Resource & Research Center (DHbRC) are continued and further developed, and the research activities will be applied to biological resources other than duckweed, so that the projects contribution to the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy will be recognized.
Project Purpose
A research development base is established for the development of duckweed industrial technology and its practical use which contributes to Thailand BCG economy.
Outputs
Duckweed Holobiont Resource & Research Center (DHbRC) is established at Kasetsart University.
Duckweed holobiont collection is created
Technology base is developed for function enhancement of the duckweed holobiont
Technology base is developed for manufacturing valuables using duckweed as a raw material.
Low-carbon effect of the water purification system using duckweed holobiont is verified.
Support for duckweed production in farms and practical application of technology using duckweed are promoted. |
