ALGAE spa was founded in 2018 as an innovative start-up operating in the micro-algae and cyanobacteria (especially Spirulina) market. The company's operating base is on the Soliera plain, where a team of researchers have developed their own "tank-based photo bio-reactor (PBR)" technology, with micro-algae ecosystems recreated in each individual unit.
Existing photo bio-reactors are basically upscaled laboratory technologies that are difficult to apply in industrial settings, while our algae PBRs are designed for high performance in industrial contexts. The tanks are made from metal alloys according to the directive for food contact, but they can also be formulated for chemical-pharmaceutical applications. They are highly resistant to various types of chemical attack, for example, corrosion resistance against saline solutions.
The system developed to date comprises 2 production lines of 34 PBRs each and was designed to be fully automated, programmable, variable in terms of culture, and, most importantly, expandable. This gives the company a big lead over its competitors, offering not just capacity and quality, but also reduced labor costs, since a single operator is enough to run an entire plant.
The system was developed following the Green Plant guidelines, making it entirely electrical (no other energy sources are used) and supporting the green and circular economy (no waste throughout the production chain with all the resources being reused in subsequent processes).
As regards programmability, the culture can have 24 h/d cycles (continuous cultivation) and, according to the required quantity, a plant can be organized into more or fewer modules. It is a completely closed production chain without external interactions (unlike open systems), making the output extremely pure.
ALGAE spa owns 4 patents:
- Micro-algae culture plant
- Production cycle control software
- Waterproof immersion lamp panels inside the photo bio-reactors
- Interior and exterior photo bio-reactor structure