ALGOSOURCE Technologies

Micro-algae and cynobacteria

Tomorrow her and now !

The AlgoSource group, with its globally recognised microalgae expertise, can offer a full range of services, ranging from production engineering to microalgae industrial development processes. Its unique know-how covers the whole range of processes, from microalgae production to industrial processing, allowing the group to offer its industrial clients a fully integrated approach. For AlgoSource, microalgae culture and processing are designed to answer the world’s future challenges, namely, growing energy demands, diminishing fossil fuel resources, the greenhouse effect, and constantly growing food needs and pressure on arable land.

R&D and advisory activities

• Identifying value

• Existing production process study and analysis

• Specific extraction tool development

• R&D in the area of separation techniques, such as membrane processes

• Customized biorefinery chain development adapted to each species.

Microalgae production engineering

Microalgae cultivation is the heart of a value creating process. Microalgae photosynthesis, however, requires the development of specific production systems, adapted according to the required application, the industrial operating conditions or the particular strain. Among the major criteria influencing the way the system is engineered, are the targeted application and market, the operating environment and the biological needs, as well as the type of effluent available for co-valorisation (CO2, nitrate, phosphate, etc.).

Global biomass biorefining for the production of high value-added molecules

AlgoSource’s expertise allows them to offer an integrated approach to assist their clients in the implementation of a microalgae development process, from preliminary engineering studies to full-scale turn-key operational installations. Microalgae are living organisms with a strong development potential. Like all higher plants, they are made up of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, but also a large number of original molecules. These include pigments, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), polysaccharides and vitamins. Such a diverse composition allows the use of microalgae in various sectors such as food, feed, pet food, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, etc. Each of these applications will seek to use a specific activity or group of molecules, leaving part of the biomass unused and previously simply considered as waste. In the biorefinery approach, the entire biomass is put to use, turning waste into a range of by-products.

To carry out this refining process, a whole series of single operations is implemented, taking into account the distribution of the compounds within the cells, their sensitivities and possible interactions with each other.

Biogas plant coupling

AlgoSource Technologies meets a growing demand on the part of biogas plant owners, i.e. how to leverage value from biogas plant by-products?

Integrating microalgae cultivation within the biogas plant, for instance, by using residual heat, appears to be a very interesting way of reducing production costs for a biomass that can also be used in various industrial applications. This can rapidly provide additional revenue sources for farmers looking for ways to diversify their business income.

Effluent valorization, CO2 – heat, etc

Environmental issues are increasingly important in present-day societies. Control of industrial emissions is therefore needed to meet evolving environmental standards. Today, the aim is not simply to reduce emissions by adapting existing processes, but to treat the effluent downstream. The use of photosynthetic microorganisms appears to be a relevant solution to sustainably recycle waste while limiting the impact on economic viability.

The photoautotrophic growth of microalgae and cyanobacteria are based on the photosynthesis principle. Associated inorganic nutrient needs can be met by recycling the carbon dioxide in flue gases, or by the reduction of nitrate and phosphate in waste waters. The biomass thus created can then be used to generate value in different areas such as animal feed, food, energy and cosmetics. This kind of effluent/biomass conversion is a sustainable and economically viable option.

Microalgae integrated industrial plant system design engineering

Microalgae’s strong yield potential and their enormous diversity mean they can address major societal challenges such as the production of protein-rich biomass for food and feed, the production of innovative active ingredients for the nutraceutical and cosmetics industries or the bio-remediation of industrial effluents (reduced carbon emissions, nitrogen or phosphorus reduction in liquid effluent, etc.). This huge potential can only be fully achieved by integrating the production and processing systems, on the basis of the specifications for the desired end-product. The AlgoSource approach aims to leverage the entire biomass value, which can considerably improve a project’s financial returns and the environmental performance of its products. The approach is optimized by implementing a biorefinery process, taking into account the whole physiological structure of microalgae and by separating targeted compounds through an improved separation process. The approach is based on ecodesign, which improves the sustainability of the algae-refining processes.