Commercial astaxanthin production derived by green alga Haematococcus pluvialis : A microalgae process model and a techno-economic assessment all through production line

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe freshwater green microalgal strain Haematococcus pluvialis is the richest source for the production of astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is member of the xanthophyll family of carotenoids and constitutes the highest value product derived by microalgae. So far, algal astaxanthin amounts to b1% of the global market, since the synthetic alternative involves lower production costs. In this study, the technical and economic performance throughout large scale astaxanthin production, for two European cities (Livadeia, Greece and Amsterdam, the Netherlands), is investigated. The techno-economic assessment was facilitated by creating a theoretical process model, which simulated all phases of the production process. A hybrid system for photoautotrophic cultivation comprised by a photobioreactor (PBR) fence and a raceway pond complex was assumed for the 'green' and the 'red stage' respectively. The area covered by each cultivation system was assumed as 1 ha. The technical part included the massenergy flows associated with the production process. The most important mass inflow refers to freshwater. More specifically, 63,526 m 3 /year and 23,793 m 3 /year are needed for the production of 426 kg/year and 143 kg/year astaxanthin in Livadeia and Amsterdam respectively. Regarding total energy needs, they were calculated at 751.2 MWh/year and 396.5 MWh/year for the Greek and the Dutch city respectively. With respect to the economic performance, a Profit and Loss (P&L) analysis was conducted applying three scenarios (worst-, base-and best case). Determining CAPEX and annual OPEX, the return of investment (ROI) for different market prices of astaxanthin was calculated. It was found that only in Livadeia high economic viability can be achieved for all market prices. The costs per kilogram of natural astaxanthin for Livadeia and Amsterdam were calculated at €1536/ kg ASTAX and €6403/kg ASTAX respectively (best case scenario), rendering natural astaxanthin unable to compete with the synthetic alternative (€880/kg ASTAX ) yet, at least for feeding purposes.

Effect of culturing parameters on the vegetative growth of Haematococcus alpinus (strain lcr‐cc‐261f) and modeling of its growth kinetics

“…). The global astaxanthin market is increasing and is predicted to reach 800 million euros by 2022 (Industry Experts , Panis and Carreon ).…”

“…). To successfully compete with synthetically prepared astaxanthin, Haematococcus production processes face some major technoeconomic bottlenecks, such as low biomass productivity and extraction yield (Panis and Carreon ).…”

Green microalgae biomolecule separations and recovery

“…The global astaxanthin market is predicted to be US$1.1 billion by 2020 (Industry Experts 2015). Haematococcus pluvialis is used to produce 280 metric tons of astaxanthin annually which accounts for < 1% of the global market with the remaining astaxanthin sourced from other marine life, Phaffia yeast, Paracoccus bacteria, or chemical synthesis (Panis and Carreon 2016). Astaxanthin is polar, lipophilic, and soluble in acetone, acetic acid, chloroform, pyridine, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (with heat application) (Kim et al 2008).…”

Extraction of astaxanthin from microalgae: process design and economic feasibility study

“…The choice of the best process depends on microalgae cell densities, algae species, the growth rates of microalgae, the acceptable level of moisture in the product and the production cost [7][8][9][10][11]. Taking into consideration the average size of a red cell of Haematococcus pluvialis (i.e.…”