Different technologies for
producing Algae
Batch and continuous production methods
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Main culture systems
Batch culture
 300 or 500 litre sacs
 D-ended tanks
Continuous culture
 Connected sac system (SeaSalter)
 Tubular fence (BioFence)
 Tubular spiral (AddaVita)
 heterotrophic production (Aqua Fauna)
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Batch Culture
Indoors
Greenhouse
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Tank culture
Advantages - large volumes
Disadvantages - weak culture, prone to contamination
Small tanks
large tanks
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SeaSalter System
Continuous Algal Production, Systems, SeaCAPS
Adapted batch culture technique
Plastic Sacs connected together
 dosing pump water and nutrient supply
 overflow into common collector
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SeaSalter SeaCAPS
water supply
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SeaSalter SeaCAPS
algae collection
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SeaSalter SeaCAPS
Equipment required
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SeaSalter SeaCAPS
 Water pasteurised before distribution
 Nutrients and carbon dioxide are metered in
continuously
 All pipework is designed to be steam sterilised
weekly
They can be installed
 indoors,
 in greenhouses (with or without supplementary
lighting
 outdoors under shade
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SeaSalter SeaCAPS
 Each 500 litre bag will yield 80-120 litres of
algae per day.
 The expected production of a 40-bag unit would
be 4-5 cubic metres per day of quality algae.
 Cell density is dependent on light availability and
required flow rates
 draws less than 3kW of power excluding lights
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SeaSalter SeaCAPS
 Requires about 2 man-days per week are
enough to run a 40-bag installation and take
care of stock and starter cultures
 500 Litre polythene bags are run for an average
of four months and discarded before collapsing
 A typical greenhouse-type installation with
artificial illumination can attain a cell density of
4000 cells/microlitre.
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SeaSalter SeaCAPS
MaxMar Mariscos, Laguna Manuela in Baja California
with a 12 bag layflat system to support their hatchery
to grow C. gigas and scallops.
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SeaSalter SeaCAPS
lay flat bag systems outdoors which
operate with no artificial light.
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SeaSalter SeaCAPS
Norway
Scalpro AS produce scallops and oysters at Rong, near
Bergen. Their upright system built into an old fish
processing plant has been working since 1996
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Tubular reactors
BioFence
Addavita
Why do we change from batch to continuous
high density production?
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Theory
In a tank or algal bag system, the zone of penetration is
low. Once the cells move away from that surface then
light cannot penetrate and photosynthesis ceases.
However, this dark area allows more complex protein
building to occur within the algae. Due to sacs
diameter the ratio of light to dark area is small and so
algal growth is limited.
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Transparent tubes, self-cleaning
Very tough, very clear food grade plastic tubes.
They are self cleaning thanks to patented special cleaning
beads that continuously circulate with the algae. This
enables the system to be run for extended periods
without culture crashes or cleaning.
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Space saving and reliable
Space saving - The tubes can be mounted vertically in a
fence like arrangement or horizontally on the ground or
at an angle on a roof. They take up a lot less room than
other growing methods and of course, they are growing
far more concentrated algae so even less space is
required.
Reliable -Can operate for long periods before crashing,
consistent quality of product.
Efficient - save on labour costs
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Ready prepared nutrients
There are two major sources of error in growing algae;
preparation and contamination
ready made nutrients with complete formulation in
sterile, concentrated liquid form
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BioFence
Clear pipe fence reactor
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BioFence
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BioFence Production
Species
Concentrations reached,
cells x 106 / ml
BIOFENCE
BAG
Outdoors*
Indoors
Nannochloropsis
280
150
20
Chlorella
400
200
20
Isochrysis
40
20
3
Tetraselmis
6
2.5
0.4
Chaetoceros
15
8
3
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BioFence Production
TYPICAL BIO-FENCE GROWTH DATA FOR NANNOCHLOROPSIS OCULATA
600Litre Bio-Fence, Polytunnel, natural light, Temperature 22-26C, Salinity 28ppt.
Day
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Bio-Fence concentration Quantity of algae harvested
Million cells per ml
Litres
10,6
17,4
31,1
75,4
123,7
200
150,5
200
225,5
200
254
200
280
264
250
264
175
200
220
200
234
200
219
200
217
200
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Comments
Innoculation
Full Harvest
BioFence Greenhouse
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BioFence indoors
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AddaVita
Clear pipe spiral
reactor
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AddaVita reactor
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AddaVita
outdoors and indoors
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AddaVita controls
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Heterotrophic production
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Boa photobioreactor
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Prism photobioreactor
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Tubular photobioreactor
Motor
Schematic
Diagram of
Tubular
Photobioreactor
Height
1.5m
Diameter
30 cm
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Tubular photobioreactor
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