Garden State bioEnterprises adopts OriginOil’s algae harvesting technology
In California, Garden State bioEnterprises announced that it has adopted OriginOil’s harvesting technology as a key component of its proprietary production system for the high-value product Astaxanthin. In a recent trial, GS bioE concentrated its algae with an OriginOil Algae Appliance and then successfully stressed the cells into Astaxanthin-bearing product.
”Being able to concentrate the algae that makes Astaxanthin is a potential game-changer for our industry,” said Andrew Greene, president of GS bioE. “By deploying the OriginOil Algae Appliance, we were able to harvest the algae to a 5% solids concentration while keeping the algae cells viable. We were then able to stress them successfully into an Astaxanthin-bearing product. Together with its ability to reduce bacteria, we expect its proven harvesting capability to give us a competitive edge in the production of natural Astaxanthin as we plan to make it a key component of our state-of-the-art Astaxanthin production system.”
GS bioE very recently concluded its testing of the OriginOil Model 4 Algae Appliance™. The companies are now in discussion regarding GS bioE’s 2013 commercialization plans and the potential for expanded use of OriginOil technology.
Priced at about $4,000 dollars a kilogram, Astaxanthin is produced by stressing a green algae into producing a red-tinted shell that contains the high-value product. The challenge is to grow this algae despite “crashes” caused by bacteria and other factors, and then to concentrate it without losing its ability to produce the Astaxanthin-bearing shell.
“HP is the ‘Diva’ of the algal strains, easily inhibited by bacteria, water hardness and the shear forces present in a pump or centrifuge,” said Jose Sanchez, general manager of OriginOil’s Algae Division. “These factors usually induce ‘crashes’ which force production restarts. Growth and harvesting difficulties have kept many players out of this market. By slashing bacterial counts, we can help Astaxanthin grow better with fewer crashes, and make the water reusable.”
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