1. No category

Industrial potential of microalgae for applications in
food, feed and specialty chemicals
René Wijffels1,2, Kiron Viswanath1
1University
of Nordland, Bodø, Norway
2Wageningen
University and Research Centre, the Netherlands
Different products
 Biomass
● Nutraceuticals
● Fish feed
 Fine chemicals (DHA, EPA)
 Pigments
 Fertiliser
 Protein
 Oil
Market Analysis
Product
Biofuel
Biochemical
Biokerosene
500
Biochar
150
Biopolymer
2,500
Biolubricant
2,000
Biopolymer additivies
3,000
Coating
5,000
Paint
Food/Feed
1,000
Protein
1,000
Lipids
950
Carbohydrates
750
Functional Protein
Pigments
Cosmetics
10,000
Bulk Chemical
Poly-unsaturated fatty acids
Food aditives
Selling price € /ton
Antioxidants
Glycolipids, Phospholipids
75,000
3,000
1,100,000
30,000
6,000
Develop this process
is a sustainable and
economical way
within the next 10 15 years
To develop a more
sustainable and
economically feasible
process, all biomass
components should be
used
Objectives and mission AlgaePARC
 Bridging the gap towards commercialisation of
commodity products from microalgae
 Challenges
● Reduction of production costs
● Development of production chain
● Market development
From basic to applied research
 Resources
● Efficient use of sunlight
● Reduction of energy
input
● Use of residual
nutrients
 Strains
● Robustness
● Product accumulation
 Implementation
● Scale-up
● Biorefinery
● Chain Analysis
AlgaePARC pilot facilities
 Intermediate between basic
research and applications
 Development of competitive
technology (economics,
sustainability)
 Acquire information for full
scale plants
 Algal biomass for food, feed,
chemicals and fuels
 PPP with 19 companies
●
BASF, Bio Oils, Cellulac, Drie Wilgen, DSM,
ExxonMobil, GEA Westfalia, Heliae, Neste Oil,
Nijhuis Water Technology, Paques, Proviron,
Roquettes, Sabic, Simris Alg, Suriname Staatsolie,
Synthetic Genomics, Total, Unilever
AlgaePARC biorefinery
 Fractionate all components
 Maintain their functionality
 At low energy input
 PPP with 11 companies
●
BASF, BODEC, Cellulac, DSM, Dyadic, Evodos, EWOS, Gea Westfalia, POS Biosciences,
Total, WAB
EU-FP7 projects
 INTESUSAL: demonstration
project Portugal
 ALGADISK: biofilmreactor; pilot
Spain
 FUEL4ME: biofuel project with
pilots in Israël, Italy, Spain and
Netherlands
 SPLASH: biomaterials project with
pilots in Spain and Netherlands
 MIRACLES: biorefinery project for
food and feed applications with
pilots in Norway, Chile,
Netherlands and Spain
MIRACLES EU FP7
 Development of integrated, multiple-product biorefinery
technologies for production of high value specialties from
algae for application in food, aquaculture and non-food
Economic Feasibility
Market value > production costs
Production costs
• Biomass production costs
• Biorefinery costs
Techno-economic model
Biomass Production costs: Model
Input
Location
Output
Netherlands
Saudi Arabia
Canary Islands
Turkish Riviera
South Spain
Curacao
Light Intensity
Electricity costs
Taxes
Labor
€ / Kg biomass
CAPEX & OPEX
Cultivation
System
NER
Empirical data
Specific
parameters
Sensitivity
Analysis
Culture temperature
Daily Dilution
Mixing day/night)
Operation days per year
...
Areas to focus
Tubular Horizontal
INPUTS
Location
Cultivation system
Rented land
3
Operation days per year
326
Mode of operation
Chemostat
Daily dilution
33.3
42
30
20
Urea
0
0
Commercial
1
1
1.52
No
Maximum culture temperature
Minimum culture temperature
Nitrogen source
Phosphorus recycling rate
Nitrogen recycling rate
Source of CO 2
Flow velocity
Flow velocity (night)
Air flow in degasser (night)
Photovoltaic energy
BIOMASS CAPACITY
Tubular Horizontal
Land
Photosynthetic efficiency
Daily dilution in summer
BIOMASS COST (CO2 incentive)
South of Spain
2.5 €·kg
-1
8249 Ton·Yr
-1
-1
%
ENERGY PRODUCTION COST
NER
112 €·GJ
0.9
days
TOTAL COSTS
20.7 M€·Yr
-1
3.1 M€·Yr
-1
17.6 M€·Yr
46.5 M€
-1
CAPEX
OPEX
Initial investment
%
%
°C
°C
Capital cost:
Major
Equipment
6%
%
%
m·s-1
m·s-1
vvm
Wastewater
treatment
7%
Labor
0,8%
Utilities
(Energy)
15%
TOTAL COSTS
Capital cost:
Building
17%
Others
20%
Operational
costs
34%
Biomass production costs
€·kg-1
35
30
25
20
Min152.68 €·kg-1  Flat Panel in Saudi Arabia
10
5
0
Raceway pond
Horizontal tubular
Stacked tubular
Flat Panel
Cost projections
FLAT PANEL
Biomass cost
(€·kg-1)
NER
Saudi Arabia
2.68  0.89
0.64  2.17
South of Spain
3.96  1.31
0.59  1.95
Biomass composition Nannochloropsis
Table S6: Biomass composition under N-replete and N-limited conditions
N-replete
Proteins
PUFA*
SFA*
MUFA*
PUFA*
Glycolipids
Phospholipids
Triacylglycerides
Waxes
Sterols
7.8%
32%
38%
30%
9.1%
37%
35%
28%
6.1%
6.1%
2.7%
3.3%
24%
35%
30%
28%
46%
37%
5.9%
32.5%
1.2%
1.3%
26%
50%
33%
43%
41%
7%
45%
Water soluble
Non-water soluble
Carbohydrates
25%
20%
25%
21%
Mono- and oligosaccharides
Polysaccharides
Pigments
Ashes
50%
MUFA*
26%
SFA*
Lipids
N-limited
3%
5%
10%
15%
18%
10%
8%
11%
10%
3%
4%
Selling prices
Product
Selling price
Suitable cellular component
Biofuel
- €/Ton
Biodiesel
710
Bioethanol
370
Coating
4,000
2,300
3,700
15,000
4,000
Proteins
Carbohydrates
FAME
Sterols
Protein
Polysaccharides
Saturated FAME
Mono- and poly -unsaturated
FAME
Wax
Sterols
Polysaccharides
Pigments
Waxes
Paint
15,000
Pigments
Bulk chemical
1,000
Soluble protein
Unsoluble protein
Protein
1,100
Soluble protein
Unsoluble protein
Lipids
Carbohydrates
Poly-unsatured fatty
acids
Functional protein
Pigments
950
750
5,000
75,000 (only EPA/DHA)
3,300
Sterols
45,000
Antioxidants
Proteins
PUFA
Glycolipids /
Phospholipids
Wax-esters
Sterols
30,000
3,500
8,000
Biolubricant
Feed
Biopolymer additives
Health care
Food additives
Food/
Chemical/Technical
Biopolymer
Cosmetics
Triacylglycerides
Glycolipids
Phospholipids
2,000
2,300
1,400
2,000
1,500
3,500
Soluble protein
200,000
6,000
4,000
17,000
PUFA, sterols, pigments
Soluble protein
Microalgal biorefinery
design and techno-economical analysis
Ultrafiltration
Liquid
Cell disruption
Solid/liquid
centrifuge
Aqueous two phase
Diafiltration
Sugars
Soluble protein
extraction
FAME
Solid
Solvent extraction
Solvent extraction
Membrane lipids
Un-soluble protein
Polysaccharides
Lipid reforming
and fractionation
Waxes
Pigments
Microalgal biorefinery
design and techno-economical analysis
Biorefinery costs for complete process
Ultrafiltration
Cell disruption
Solid/liquid
centrifuge
Liquid
Aqueous two
phase
extraction
Sugars
Diafiltration
Soluble protein
FAME
Solid
Solvent
extraction
Solvent
extraction
Membrane lipids
Un-soluble protein
Polysaccharides
Lipid reforming
and
fractionation
Waxes
Pigments
Biorefinery costs for food additives
Biorefinery costs for food and feed
Biorefinery costs for biofuels
Lipid
reforming
Techno-economic model
Biofuels
Chemicals
Food/feed
Cosmetics
Value
0.15-0.45 €/kg
1.5-2.5 €/kg
3-10 €/kg
8-11 €/kg
Costs
4.20 €/kg
4.40 €/kg
4.60 €/kg
5.50 €/kg
Composition fish feed produced in Norway
Source: Norwegian Seafood Federation
Atlantic cod
 12 % Nanofrustulum sp. (Defatted biomass)
 Kiron et al., unpublished / US DoE study
What are the challenges for the future?
 How can we further reduce the cost price and energy
consumption?
 How can we extract the valuable components from algae
in an efficient way?
 How can we develop together with our industrial
partners attractive economical combinations?
Industrial partners
Academic partners
Arke, Avantium, BAM, BASF, BAS, Biogas Fuel Cell,
BioOils, Biotopic, Bodec, Caglar Dogal Urunler,
Cellulac, Cropeye, Desah, Drie Wilgen, DSM, Dyadic,
Eco Treasures, Evodos, EWOS, ExxonMobil, Feyecon,
Fitoplancton Marino, Fotosintetica & Microbiologica,
GEA-Westfalia, Heliae, IDConsortium, Imenz, Infors,
Lankhorst, LifeGlimmer, MFKK, NATAC, Neste Oil,
Holcim, Nijhuis, Omega Algae, ONVIDA, OTEC, OWS,
Paques, POS Bioscience, PNO, Prominent, Proviron,
Rhodia, Rodenburg Biopolymers, Roquette, Sabic,
Simris Alg, SPAROS, Suriname Staatsolie, Synthetic
Genomics, Total, Umwelt-Technie, Unilever, VFT
Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Cambridge
University, Centre for Research and Technology
Hellas, Cranfield University, CSIC, ECN, Ege University,
Frauenhofer, INRA, Joanneum Research, Qingdao
Institute of BioEnergy and Bioprocess Technology,
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen,Technical University Delft,
Thomas Moore Kempen, Uni Research, Universität
Bielefeld, Universidad de Antofagasta, University of
Bergen, University of Huelva, University of Las
Palmas de Gran Canaria, University of Nordland,
University of Utrecht, VITO, VU Amsterdam,
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Twitter: @ReneWijffels
www.AlgaePARC.com