(June 15, 2015) Many
products, including food supplements, cosmetics and biodiesel, are made from
substances derived from microalgae. A fully automated pilot plant operated by
Fraunhofer in Leuna is capable of producing microalgae on pilot scale. The
concentration of algae in its reactors is five times higher than in
conventional closed reactors. The researchers who designed the plant will be
exhibiting it at the ACHEMA 2015 show in Frankfurt am Main from June 15 to 19
(Hall 9.2, Booth D64).
Microalgae are highly versatile organisms. Some strains, for
instance, produce large quantities of omega-3 fatty acids that have important
health-giving properties, and are therefore used in the composition of food
supplements. Many ingredients in cosmetic products are also derived from algae,
such as the red pigment astaxanthin which is extracted from the algal strain
Haematococcus pluvialis. Other strains of microalgae produce oils or starch
that can be used to manufacture biodiesel, ethanol or biogas. But the
microalgae from which all of these products are derived are grown almost
exclusively by American, Israeli or Asian companies – there are only few
commercial production facilities in Europe. In Asia, the aquatic organisms are
mainly cultivated in open ponds. But the quantity of algae that can be
harvested from these ponds is limited because they need light to grow, and
sunlight rarely penetrates beyond the first few inches deep in the water body.
Finally, there is the constant risk that the algae might be contaminated by
other microorganisms.