10 TNO TIM E AUT UMN 2014 2. BEAD MILL Here the cell walls of all the algae are mechanically pulverised to release the cell contents for further processing. 1. SLURRY INTAKE Here the algae begin their journey through the pilot plant. The algae are harvested and concentrated by the algae grower beforehand. The tank has a capacity of 350 litres. 3. CENTRIFUGE Here the cells that were pulverised in the bead mill are separated into three fractions: oil, solids and water containing the dissolved ingredients like proteins. The oil is collected immediately (and possibly refined) while the other fractions go to other tanks (4, 5) for further processing. 4. CAPTURE OF SOLIDS Capture of non-dissolvable solids. After drying, extractions of this solid fraction may provide attractive compounds for industrial applications. TNO T IM E AUT UMN 2014 VALORI(E)SATION OF ALGAE 5. CAPTURE OF WATER FRACTION This fraction contains high-quality proteins that can be used in foods. 6. FILTRATION The proteins in the water fraction are further purified and then dried. There is increasing interest being shown in algae. They contain many ingredients: oils (as an energy source or for consumption), proteins and many other properties such as colouring agents and anti-oxidants. Algae cultivation has been done on a rather small scale to date and mainly geared to one product: dried algae powder. However, by designing smarter algae processing, it is possible to extract from one species of algae several ingredients and provide a wide range of algae ingredients to end users. Product diversification allows the grower to spread his risk and achieve more scale and continuity. But how does that work? This is something the pilot plant VALORIE (Versatile ALgae Onsite Raw Ingredient Extractor), contained in a 20-foot sea container, aims to reveal. In addition to demonstrating the technological possibilities, this pilot plant will be used to determine the economic impact of the proposed processes, in terms of both yield and fixed and operational costs. VALORIE, which was officially opened on 8 September, was co-developed by algae grower and technology company Algae Food & Fuel and TNO, the supplier of scientific and process technology expertise. The container can be put on site at algae-growing companies, allowing the growers to explore the various processing options and create a business case. According to researcher Corjan van den Berg (in the background), algae cultivation of half a hectare is enough to deploy VALORIE. The applied technology is such that all types of algae can be processed, process technologist Peter Geerdink (in the foreground) points out. Thanks to the modular structure, and depending on the company’s requirements, sub-systems can easily be added. VALORIE has first been deployed at Algae Food & Fuel in Lelystad, but will then be deployed at other companies at home and abroad. INFO: [email protected], [email protected] PHOTO: Pieter Magielsen, NFP Photography 11