In view of its promise as sustainable process for CO2 capture and its potential in the production of feed, food and natural high value products such as omega-3 fatty acids and anti-oxidants such as astaxanthin, large scale algae cultivation is gaining commercial intere
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In view of its promise as sustainable process for CO2 capture and its potential in the production of feed, food and natural high value products such as omega-3 fatty acids and anti-oxidants such as astaxanthin, large scale algae cultivation is gaining commercial interest. Currently, most systems are based on directly contacting CO2 containing gas, e.g. flue gas, with the algae culture. However, applicable on small scale, this approach is not applicable on a commercially relevant large scale due to mass transfer limitations. There is need for a cost effective and scalable system. TNO has developed a scalable system for efficient capture of CO2 as feedstock for algae production. In this system, CO2 is absorbed in an absorption liquid as bicarbonate. Subsequently, the enriched absorption liquid is fed to the algae, which convert the solubilized CO2 into biomass and biobased products. Finally, biomass is recovered and the lean absorption liquid is recycled. TNO's integrated process concept was successfully demonstrated with continuous algae cultivation on a 2 L-scale for more than 150 days of which 40 days using flue gas as CO2 source.
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