An economic assessment of astaxanthin production by large scale cultivation of Haematococcus pluvialis.

Although natural sources have long been exploited for astaxanthin production, it is still uncertain if natural astaxanthin can be produced at lower cost than that of synthetic astaxanthin or not. In order to give a comprehensive cost analysis of astaxanthin production from Haematococcus, a pilot plant with two large scale outdoor photobioreactors and a raceway pond was established and operated for 2 years to develop processes for astaxanthin production from Haematococcus. The developed processes were scaled up to a hypothetical plant with a production capacity about 900 kg astaxanthin per year, and the process economics was preliminarily assessed. Based on the analysis, the production cost of astaxanthin and microalgae biomass can be as low as $718/kg and $18/kg respectively. The results are very encouraging because the estimated cost might be lower than that of chemically synthesized astaxanthin.

[1]  F. G. Acién,et al.  Efficiency assessment of the one-step production of astaxanthin by the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis. , 2008, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[2]  J. Abalde,et al.  Analysis and enhancement of astaxanthin accumulation in Haematococcus pluvialis. , 2005, Bioresource technology.

[3]  G. An,et al.  Astaxanthin from Microbial Sources , 1991 .

[4]  Guangce Wang,et al.  ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CHLORELLA SOROKINIANA GXNN01 (CHLOROPHYTA) WITH THE PROPERTIES OF HETEROTROPHIC AND MICROAEROBIC GROWTH 1 , 2009, Journal of phycology.

[5]  Y. Chisti,et al.  Recovery of microalgal biomass and metabolites: process options and economics. , 2003, Biotechnology advances.

[6]  F. Goycoolea,et al.  Astaxanthin: A Review of its Chemistry and Applications , 2006, Critical reviews in food science and nutrition.

[7]  Feng Chen,et al.  Influence of medium components on astaxanthin content and production of Haematococcus pluvialis , 1998 .

[8]  F. G. Acién,et al.  Production of astaxanthin by Haematococcus pluvialis: taking the one-step system outdoors. , 2009, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[9]  Miguel Olaizola,et al.  Commercial development of microalgal biotechnology: from the test tube to the marketplace. , 2003, Biomolecular engineering.

[10]  F. G. Acién,et al.  Continuous production of green cells of Haematococcus pluvialis: Modeling of the irradiance effect , 2006 .

[11]  Kinzo Matsumoto,et al.  Astaxanthin, a carotenoid with potential in human health and nutrition. , 2006, Journal of natural products.

[12]  P. Margalith.  Production of ketocarotenoids by microalgae , 1999, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[13]  R. Sarada,et al.  Towards genetic improvement of commercially important microalga Haematococcus pluvialis for biotech applications , 2009, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[14]  K. Grünewald,et al.  Effect of cultivation parameters on growth and pigment biosynthesis in flagellated cells of Haematococcus pluvialis , 2001, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[15]  R. Wijffels,et al.  An Outlook on Microalgal Biofuels , 2010, Science.

[16]  B. Nobre,et al.  Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of astaxanthin and other carotenoids from the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis , 2006 .

[17]  Miguel Olaizola,et al.  Commercial production of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis using 25,000-liter outdoor photobioreactors , 2000, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[18]  J. C. Goldman,et al.  Outdoor algal mass cultures—I. Applications , 1979 .

[19]  Olaf Kruse,et al.  An economic and technical evaluation of microalgal biofuels , 2010, Nature Biotechnology.

[20]  Reza Ranjbar,et al.  High efficiency production of astaxanthin by autotrophic cultivation of Haematococcus pluvialis in a bubble column photobioreactor , 2008 .

[21]  R. L. Ausich.  Commercial opportunities for carotenoid production by biotechnology , 1997 .

[22]  R T Lorenz,et al.  Commercial potential for Haematococcus microalgae as a natural source of astaxanthin. , 2000, Trends in biotechnology.

[23]  Miguel Olaizola,et al.  Haematococcus astaxanthin: applications for human health and nutrition. , 2003, Trends in biotechnology.

[24]  Choul-Gyun Lee,et al.  Secondary Carotenoid Accumulation in Haematococcus (Chlorophyceae): Biosynthesis, Regulation, and Biotechnology , 2006 .

[25]  Artiwan Shotipruk,et al.  Photoautotrophic high-density cultivation of vegetative cells of Haematococcus pluvialis in airlift bioreactor. , 2007, Bioresource technology.

[26]  P. Bubrick.  Production of astaxanthin from Haematococcus , 1991 .

[27]  A. Otero,et al.  Two-stage cultures for the production of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis. , 2001, Journal of biotechnology.

[28]  John J. Milledge,et al.  Commercial application of microalgae other than as biofuels: a brief review , 2011 .

[29]  Andrew J. Young,et al.  Autotrophic growth and carotenoid production of Haematococcus pluvialis in a 30 liter air-lift photobioreactor , 1996 .

[30]  Yeguang Li,et al.  Production of astaxanthin from Haematococcus in open pond by two-stage growth one-step process , 2009 .

[31]  F. G. Acién,et al.  Efficient one-step production of astaxanthin by the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis in continuous culture. , 2005, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[32]  J. A. Campo,et al.  Outdoor cultivation of microalgae for carotenoid production: current state and perspectives , 2007, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[33]  Aditya M. Kunjapur,et al.  Photobioreactor Design for Commercial Biofuel Production from Microalgae , 2010 .

[34]  M. Huntley,et al.  CO2 Mitigation and Renewable Oil from Photosynthetic Microbes: A New Appraisal , 2007 .

[35]  Bai-cheng Zhou,et al.  Effect of iron on growth and lipid accumulation in Chlorella vulgaris. , 2008, Bioresource technology.

[36]  C. Aflalo,et al.  On the relative efficiency of two- vs. one-stage production of astaxanthin by the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis. , 2007, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[37]  Gokare A. Ravishankar,et al.  Enhancement of carotenoids by mutation and stress induced carotenogenic genes in Haematococcus pluvialis mutants. , 2008, Bioresource technology.

[38]  G. Sandmann,et al.  Cloning of two carotenoid ketolase genes from Nostoc punctiforme for the heterologous production of canthaxanthin and astaxanthin , 2004, Biotechnology Letters.

[39]  C. Ratledge,et al.  Biotechnology : economic and social aspects : issues for developing countries , 1992 .

[40]  J. C. Goldman,et al.  Outdoor algal mass cultures—II. Photosynthetic yield limitations☆ , 1979 .