Algalimento focuses on the sustainable production of microalgae

Algalimento focuses on the sustainable production of microalgae Massive expansion in culture surface

Microalgae, unicellular organisms ranging in size from a few micrometres to a few hundreds of micrometres, grow in saline, brackish, and freshwater. They have a wide range of applications and are usually produced in bioreactors on land. The company Algalimento near Las Palmas on the Canary Islands is exploiting the nutritional properties of microalgae, which include proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements, for use in fi sh feed and products for human consumption.

The company collaborates with the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (ITC) and is hosted on the institute’s campus. Owned by the government of the Canary Islands, ITC is a research organisation that carries out research, development, and innovation in several fi elds with an overall focus on sustainability and the addition of value to the islands’ coastlines and their strategic location in the Atlantic Ocean.

Companies benefi t from ITC infrastructure

Th e cultivation of algae fi ts well into this overall strategy and ITC supplies Algalimento with the algae which the company uses as a starter culture for its production. ITC is also planning a biomarine hub on its campus for which it will invite companies involved in this area to set up offi ces. At ITC’s campus Algalimento maintains a facility with 5,000 sq. m of culture surface for the production of microalgae. Ana Marcos de los Ríos, an industrial engineer, leads the production and research at the company. She says that a new site is currently under preparation which, when completed, will be 50,000 sq. m or 10 times the size of the old facility. Th e current site (as well as the new one) is supplied with marine, brackish, and fresh water enabling Algalimento to produce algae that grow in all these media. Th e focus is on certain species of algae that are native to the area as it is forbidden from introducing exotic species for commercial purposes. Th ese restrictions are laid down in the law and are intended to protect the environment from the introduction of alien species.

Algalimento started in 2012 as the brainchild of three companies with interests in widely diff erent commercial areas. Th e three were invited to participate in a technology project to diversify their activities which they did with the

Algalimento

Raceways used to produce the microalgae. Experiments are also conducted to fi nd the optimal raceway design.

help of a grant from the central government in Madrid. Th e aim of the project was to commercialise technology developed at ITC. Initially Algalimento had 1,000 sq. m of culture surface but then when it turned out that there was a market for its products, it increased the size of the culture surface by a factor of fi ve with the help of a grant. Th e early experience demonstrated the importance of scaling up production to reduce the operating costs per unit of output and also suggested that demand for the products was far more than could be produced with the existing culture surface. Th e company produces the green microalgae Tetraselmis striata, which is used for aquaculture feeds. Th e overwhelming majority of production is sold outside Spain to aquafeed manufacturers. Another species, Tetraselmis chui, can be used for human consumption but is not native to the Canary Islands and so may not be produced. For Ms Marcos this precaution is understandable, but Algalimento has shown that its production is secure and there is no danger of the cultivated algae escaping into the environment as the wastewater does not contain any living microalgal cells.

Only species native to the Canary Islands may be produced commercially

Another species that the company plans to cultivate is

Ana Marcos de los Ríos leads Algalimento, a company producing microalgae for a range of applications.

Dunaliella salina, a microalga that produces the pigment betacarotene, a product sought after by the nutraceutical industry. Th is species should be produced in the months of April to October/ November as this is when the pigment content is highest. Th e pigment content increases when the microalga experiences stress, so at Algalimento the nutrients, carbon dioxide levels, and the light are adjusted to create the conditions necessary for the production of betacarotene. However,

says Ms Marcos, when the microalga produces betacarotene it does not grow, so it is important to strike a balance. Current authorised production amounts to 1 tonne a year, while at the new site Ms Marcos expects production to reach approximately 170 tonnes a year, depending on the species, as the water column is going to be doubled. Volumes of Nannochloropsis gaditana, a new species to be produced, for example, would be about 170 tonnes, while Dunaliella salina would be lower. In total only four species are native to the Canary Islands and have been approved for commercial production. In addition to the three already mentioned are Isochrysis spp.

Th e new facility is expected to require an investment of EUR7.5m for the raceways and a processing plant and the company hopes to obtain support from the European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund. Ms Marcos is well aware that support from EU funds comes with many terms and conditions and a lot of paperwork is required, which for a small company is not easy to manage. We will have to hire an extra staff member just to deal with this, she says, if our experience of the last time we got a grant is anything to go by.

High carbon dioxide prices force a search for alternative sources

One of the inputs for the production of algae is carbon dioxide which, counter-intuitively, is currently one of the most expensive inputs for the company. Th e high price is a result of the general increase in energy costs and the company is therefore looking for cheaper sources of the gas. Some algae production facilities are established in the vicinity of industrial plants, for example, cement factories that generate carbon dioxide during their production processes. Th e company is also looking at trading carbon credits, but this initiative is still in its infancy. Finally, ITC plans to obtain the carbon dioxide generated by an energy producer some two kilometres away to supply to companies like Algalimento that require carbon dioxide for their operations. At the national level Algalimento is working on being classifi ed as a carbon dioxide sink, since it removes the gas from the atmosphere when it cultivates algae. Irrespective of the source of the carbon dioxide, Algalimento’s customers, mainly aquafeed producers, are highly focused on quality and so the gas must be purifi ed to the same level as required for carbonated drinks for human consumption. A HACCP plan has therefore been implemented to ensure these and other quality requirements are met.

Cultivating algae for commercial purposes is quite diff erent from growing the organisms in the laboratory. In the latter conditions can be carefully controlled, while outside, in a raceway, conditions vary over the course of the year. Th e critical parameter is the water and to know how to manage it, emphasises Ms Marcos, to have the volume and quality of the water you need in time for the cultivation. For example, water stored outside evaporates increasing the salinity, so this must be taken into account when putting the water to use. Th e company’s saltwater requirement is taken from the sea, while freshwater is obtained from the neighbouring desalination plant. In addition, wastewater from the desalination plant is used to cultivate Dunaliella salina creating something of a circular economy where the waste from one process forms the raw material for another.

A microalgae culture being introduced into a raceway. As the density increases the biomass is moved to larger raceways.

Ongoing efforts to green the production

Both ITC and Algalimento are interested in renewable energy to reduce costs and for the benefi ts to the environment. Both entities have erected windmills on the campus and solar panels have also been installed for this purpose. However, power is needed 24/7 and so Algalimento is not completely cut off from the grid. Switching to renewable energy is one of several initiatives to make the company more sustainable. We are also trying to reduce our consumption of nutrients, focus on making our economy circular, and we are seeking recognition as a carbon sink, says Ms Marcos. If the company succeeds in these eff orts, it may even be able to charge a premium for its products.

Algalimento

Playa de Pozo Izquierdo s/n 35119 Santa Lucía de Tirajana (Gran Canaria) Spain

Tel.: +34 928 932 280 info@algalimento.com www.algalimento.com

Director: Ana Marcos de los Ríos Employees: 3 Culture surface: 5,000 sq. m (expanding to 50,000 sq. m) Activity: Microalgae production Volume: 1 tonne/year (increasing to 170 tonnes/year) Species produced: Tetraselmis striata, Dunaliella salina,

Isochrysis spp, Nannochloropsis gaditana Product form: Powder Applications: Aquaculture feeds, nutraceuticals, food colouring, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics