Even all these components are made sterile, there still need cleaning, re-sterilizing components. Operation require some degree of autoclave.  There are skills to be had. Know hows plays a critical role in autoclaving components.

Our patent-pending 500 liter SPAGS and 20 liter CLAGS are sterile bioreactors with TPE tube connections that are pre-sealed and gamma-irradiated. A proprietary air sparger provides a micro or millimeter bubble column through the bioreactor to supply oxygen. The supply of high volume oxygen to the biomass enables high density culture yields. We measure and optimize the Oxygen Transfer Coefficient.

Ensures all incoming fluids including water and nutrients are bacteria and virus free. This biological filter is the essential production element. It features a triple stage 0.1 micron filtration system that is effective from bench top test bed to a plant operations.

A VanteBio® Sterile Tube Welder ensures the sterile connection of TPE (thermo plastic elastomer) tubings without exposing interior fluid to the environment. Expensive single use sterile connectors are rather ineffective. The connections are permanent. The inside of all tubes are completely sterile pre- and post- installation. All tubing ends are sealed prior to being gamma irradiated.

Cold Sterilization is a must for heat sensitive plumbing.  The minimum 6-log bioburden reduction is not sufficient for recovery of contaminated bioreactors.

SPAGS are individually exhausted through a sterile filter.  It prevents not only the back flow of contaminant through air, but also shuts off the biomass or bacteria coming out of the exhaust in case of failure.

Monitoring biomass conditions in real time is critically important. Using these instruments, and knowing the growth parameters, helps us to develop feeding and growing regimes tailored to your algae species.

• Exit gas analyzer evaluates CO2 and O2 gas content simultaneously in the exit gas: BlueSense BlueInOne   

• Dissolved Oxygen sensor: Endress+Hauser

• pH monitor: Endress+Hauser

• Cell cytometry analyzer for cell health, fat content, cell size distribution:  MilliporeSigma

For species such as DHA rich C. cohnii, the cell wall is very fragile. The cells are prone to lysing by shear stress alone.  To dewater DHA rich biomass paste without lysing the cells, FPN uses Evodos spiral plate centrifuge technology. It is the most efficient and gentle dewatering concentrator. The continuous processing Evodos 50 is an essential tool to harvest biomass gently without lysing the cells.

To preserve the nutrients in the biomass, especially so that the enzymes necessary for DHA synthesis are not denatured, low temperature processing is essential. Additionally, to avoid ANY oxidation of PUFA inside, we should eliminate the air drying.  This leaves us a fairly complex dryer.  There are few options in the market.

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We determine the optimum method based on your needs.

During the post processing phase, after the biomass is separated, the effluent solution needs to be discharged.  It may contain unused nutrients. The effluent needs to be treated so that no bacteria nor any organism flourishes. We need to resterilize the solution.  We do it in such a way so that no residual chemical is also discharged. The discharged water is as clean as potable water.