To grow
Vaxa bathes microalgae in pink-purple light
In the shadow of Iceland’s largest geothermal power plant, a large warehouse houses a kind of high-tech indoor farm unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Under an eerie pink-purple glow, light panels buzz and cylindrical water columns bubble, while a futuristic microalgae culture grows.
It’s here that Icelandic company Vaxa Technologies has developed a system that harnesses energy and other resources from the nearby power plant to cultivate these tiny aquatic organisms.
“It’s a new way of looking at food production,” says executive director Kristinn Haflidason, as she shows me around the space-age facilities.
For much of our history, humans have consumed seaweed, also called macroalgae.
But its smaller relative, microalgae, is a less common food source, although it was eaten for centuries in ancient Central America and Africa.
Today, scientists and entrepreneurs are increasingly exploring its potential as a sustainable, nutrient-rich food.
About 35 minutes from the capital Reykjavik, the Vaxa site produces the Nannochloropsis microalgae, both for human food and to feed fish and shrimp farms.
He also grows a type of bacteria called Arthospira, also known as blue-green algae, because it shares similar properties with microalgae.
When dried, it is known as spirulina and is used as a dietary supplement, food ingredient and as a bright blue food coloring.
These tiny organisms photosynthesize, capturing energy from light to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
“Algae eat CO2 or transform it into biomass,” explains Mr. Haflidason. “It’s a negative carbon footprint.”
To grow
The Vaxa plant uses electricity from an adjacent geothermal plant
The Vaxa factory is in a unique situation.
It is the only place where algae cultivation is integrated with a geothermal power plant, which provides clean electricity, cold water for cultivation, hot water for heating and even pipes for its CO2 emissions.
“You end up with a slightly negative carbon footprint,” says Asger Munch Smidt-Jensen, a food technology consultant at the Danish Institute of Technology (DTI), co-author of a study assessing the environmental impact of spirulina production of Vaxa.
“We also saw a relatively small footprint, both in terms of land and water use. »
Round-the-clock renewable energy, as well as a low carbon footprint CO2 flow and nutrients, are needed to ensure the facility is climate-friendly, and he believes this is not easy to replicate.
“There is a huge energy input to operate these photobioreactors, and you have to artificially simulate the sun, so you need a high-energy light source,” he explains.
“The main takeaway for me is that we should use those regions (like Iceland) where we have low-impact energy sources to make energy-intensive products,” adds Munch Smidt-Jensen. .
To grow
“It’s a new way of thinking about food production,” says Kristinn Haflidason
Back at the algae factory, I climb onto a raised platform, where I’m surrounded by noisy modular units called photo-bioreactors, where thousands and thousands of tiny red and blue LED lights fuel the growth of algae. microalgae, instead of sunlight.
They also receive water and nutrients.
“More than 90% of photosynthesis occurs in very specific wavelengths of red and blue light,” says Haflidason. “We only give them the light they use. »
All conditions are tightly controlled and optimized by machine learning, he adds.
About 7% of the harvest is harvested daily and quickly replenished with new shoots.
The Vaxa facility can produce up to 150 tonnes of algae per year and plans to expand.
As the crops are rich in protein, carbohydrates, omega-3s, fatty acids and vitamin B12, Haflidason believes growing microalgae in this way could help combat global food insecurity.
Many other companies are betting on the potential of microalgae: their market is estimated to be worth $25.4 billion (£20.5 billion) by 2033.
Danish start-up Algiecel has tested portable modules the size of a shipping container housing photobioreactors and which could be linked to carbon-emitting industries to capture their CO2, while simultaneously producing food and feed .
The crops are also used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, biofuels and to replace plastic.
Perhaps microalgae could also be produced in space.
As part of a project funded by the European Space Agency, the Danish technology institution plans to test whether microalgae can be grown on the International Space Station.
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Many companies are developing microalgae for animal and human food.
Despite all the investments, there is still a way to go before microalgae becomes an everyday part of our diet.
There is still much to be developed, according to Mr. Munch Smidt-Jensen.
He points out that the texture lacks firmness. Meanwhile, the taste may be “fishy” if the seaweed is a saltwater variety.
“But there are ways to overcome this,” he adds.
There is also the societal question.
“Are people ready? How do we get everyone to want to eat this?”
Malene Lihme Olsen, a food scientist at the University of Copenhagen who studies microalgae, says its nutritional value needs more research.
“Green microalgae (chlorella) have a very sturdy cell wall, so it can be difficult for us to digest them and get all the nutrients,” she says.
For now, she says it’s best to add microalgae to other “carrier products” like pasta or bread to improve taste, texture and appearance.
However, Ms. Olsen believes that microalgae represent a promising food for the future.
“If you compare a hectare of soy in Brazil and imagine we have a hectare of algae field, you could produce 15 times more protein per year (from algae).”
Do you like green slimes?
Back at the factory, I look at an unappetizing green slime. These are microalgae harvested with the extracted water, ready for further processing.
Mr Haflidason offers me a taste and, after an initial reluctance, I try it and find its neutral flavor with a texture close to tofu.
“We’re absolutely not suggesting that anyone eat green slime,” Mr. Haflidason jokes.
Instead, processed seaweed is an ingredient in everyday foods, and in Reykjavik, a bakery makes bread with spirulina and a gym puts it in smoothies.
“We’re not going to change what you eat. We’re just going to change the nutritional value of the foods you eat,” he says.
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