Pål Myhre
Industrial use of microalgae in the Kattegat- Skagerak-region
A report to the Blue Bio Interreg-project
ALGAE WORKSHOP
15th and 16th November 2012 THE NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES (UMB) –
ÅS, NORWAY
A Nordic platform for microalgae. An overview of the players and competence environments active in working with microalgae, including market, trends and Potentials, focusing on the geographic area of Denmark, Norway, Sweden.
The report is currently in progress and will consist of the following 4 chapters: 1. Microalgae Biology
2. Microalgae Cultivation and Upscaling
3. Global Microalgae Market Segments and Potentials
4. Microalgae Player Picture and Potentials for the Nordic Countries
An interactive input from you, especially on the 4th chapter, would be
beneficial and appreciated
Microalgae Biology
Source: Pulz, IGV GmbH 2010
Biodiversity Classification Production capacity Comparison to vascular plants
Cultivation and Upscaling
Source: Pulz, IGV GmbH 2010
Microalgae can be produced using a wide variety of methods, ranging from closed fully controlled methods to less predictable methods in outdoor tanks. The terminologies used to describe the type of algal culture include indoor/outdoor, open/closed, axenic, batch, continuous and semi-continuous.
Cultivation and Upscaling
Cultivation and Upscaling
Source: Pulz, IGV GmbH 2010
World microalgae production
taxon product application Estimated production t/a
Chlorella vulgaris
biomass extracts
health food, food supplement, feed, cosmetics
2000
Spirulina platensis
phycocyanin biomass, extracts
health food, functional food Feed, cosmetic products
3000
Dunaliella salina
carotenoids, β-carotene
health food, food supplement, feed, cosmetics
1200
Nostoc fusiforme biomass health food 600
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae biomass health food 500
Haematococcus pluvialis carotenoids astaxanthin
pharmaceuticals feed additives, aquaculture
300
Crypthecodinium DHA baby food 240
Odontella aurita EPA, biomass cosmetics, food 20
Schizochytrium DHA baby food 10
Sceletenoma life biomass aquaculture
Nitzschia/ Navicula life biomass aquaculture
Isochrysis galbana life biomass,fatty acids aquaculture, animal nutrition
Nannochloropsis life biomass aquaculture
Source: Pulz, IGV GmbH 2008
Microalgae products – Big players
Source: Grewe, Salata GmbH 2010
Carotenoids
Source: Grewe, Salata GmbH 2010
Markets & Prices
OMEGA-3 OIL Ø To replace the 1 million annual global fish oil production, an algae biomass of 2.5 – 3.5 million tons is required Ø 81% aquaculture Ø 13% DHC Ø $1.3 Billion omega-3 ingredient market value Ø 10 – 20% growth per year Ø Algae oil whole sale price is $140 per kg
BETA GLUCAN Ø The beta glucan ingredient market value is $80 – 100 million Ø 10 – 15% annual growth is expected in the US market Ø The whole sale price of yeast extracted beta glucan is $110 – 160 per kg
Microalgae player picture
MICROALGAE PLAYER PICTURE IN THE NORDIC COUNTRIES
Jenny Egardt (Denmark, Finland and Sweden) and Pål Myhre (Norway)
Microalgal culture collections Universities and R&D Institutions Microalgae cultivation as feed in aquaculture Industrial microalgal activity in the Nordic countries Industrial microalgal activity operating outside Nordic countries
Microalgae player picture
Microalgal culture collections (2 existing) WDMC 935: The Scandinavian Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (SCCAP) at the University of Copenhagen. 900 strains (c. 265 genera and 460 species) WDMC 498: The Culture Collection of Algae (NIVA), Oslo 750 strains of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microalgae
Microalgae player picture
Universities and R&D Institutions (26)
Denmark (5) AlgaeCenter Denmark, Danish Technological Institute Skaldyrcenter Aalborg University Aarhus University
Finland (2) Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Norway (11) Aquaculture Protein Centre Bioforsk Institute of Marine Research Nofima Norwegian University of Technology and Science SINTEF University of Bergen University of Life Sciences University of Oslo University of Stavanger University of Tromsø
Sweden (8) Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg KTH, Royal Institute of Technology Linnaeus University Mälardalen University Nordic Microalgae SP Borås Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå Uppsala University
Algal biotechnology history
1863: Nitroglycerin + diatom algae Dynamit
2012: SOLBIOPTA - bioprocessing of nanomaterials using silica from diatoms in relation to solar cell technology. Gabriella Tranell [email protected] Olav Vadstein [email protected]
Microalgae player picture
Microalgae cultivation as feed in aquaculture
halibut, turbot, seabass, seabream, cod and bivalves green water Artemia rotifers
Microalgae player picture
Industrial microalgal activity in the Nordic countries
AstaReal AB (former BioReal AB) Algalif AS Algro Freberg Biopharmia AS BM Energy Group and AstaNovo AS CO2BIO MicroA AS Promar AS Simris Alg Statoil
Microalgae player picture
Industrial microalgal activity operating outside Nordic countries
MicroAlgae AS (Reed Marine, USA)
Sahara Forest Project (Bellona)
SFP Pilot Facility under construction "We are happy to release the first pictures from the construction phase of the SFP Pilot Facility in Qatar. The pilot facility is realized through a cooperation between Qatar Fertilizer Company (QAFCO), Yara International and The Sahara Forest Project. The facility is scheduled to start operations in December 2012."
Questions
1) What advantages do the Nordic countries have in the R&D of a global microalgae industry, what role and position should they take?
2) What may the Nordic countries contribution to the microalgae industry be:
a) expertise sales including IPR, exporting the expertise to where large scale production in open systems is more suitable? b) cold water algae bioprospecting in order to find species having new, unique properties and the potential for commercial applications in medicines, food and feed, textiles, cosmetics and the process industry? c) large scale microalgae production. What kind of methods should be suitable for the Nordic countries, and what are the arguments for the method selection? Closed hyper-intensive production in greenhouse for high value products? Fermentation or highly integrated artificial light-based production (as for example AstaReal production of astaxanthin)?
3) Based on the answer to the questions above, what would be the good strategies and actions necessary to obtain this?
Why microalgae production so far north?
• Less overheating problems
• Photobioreactor architecture adapted for Nordic light conditions
-5 0 5
15 20 25 30 35
1 4 7 10
13
16
19
22
25
28
31
34
37
40
43
46
49
52
Week no.
Yiel
d (g
/m
2 /d
)
Artificial light – increased growth/yield
Sun light only
Source: IGV/NIVA 2006
10
Beneficial combination of Nordic sun light and artificial light
Nordic light conditions
Other arguments
Nordic microalgae production
• CO2 emissions (2011: 52,7 million tons per year in Norway, 13,4 million tons from the petro industry)
• Low energy price • Suitable conditions for PBRs production inside greenhouses
(Topography, land availability and the sunlight and climate) • Competence in greenhouse production, horticultural illumination
programs, regulating reproduction of fish with photoperiodic treatment
• Aquaculture pioneer tradition
