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Loy Yang Micro Algae

Micro-algae are microscopic algae, typically found in freshwater and marine systems.

They are unicellular species which exist individually, or in chains or groups. Depending on the species, their sizes can range from just a few micrometers (µm) up to a few hundreds of micrometers.

Unlike higher plants, microalgae do not have roots, stems and leaves. Microalgae, capable of performing photosynthesis, are important for life on earth; they produce approximately half of the atmospheric oxygen and simultaneously consume the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to grow photoautotrophically.

The biodiversity of microalgae is enormous and they represent an almost untapped resource. It has been estimated that about 200,000-800,000 species exist of which about 35,000 species are described.

Over 15,000 novel compounds originating from algal biomass have been chemically determined (Cardozo et al. 2007). Most of these microalgae species produce unique products like carotenoids, antioxidants, fatty acids, enzymes, polymers, peptides, toxins and sterols.

The chemical composition of microalgae is not an intrinsic constant factor but varies over a wide range, both depending on species and on cultivation conditions. It is possible to accumulate the desired products in microalgae to a large extent by changing environmental factors – such as temperature, illumination, pH, CO2 supply, salt and nutrients.

Microalgae, such as microphytes, constitute the basic foodstuff for numerous aquaculture species (especially filtering bivalves), providing them with vitamins and polyunsaturated fatty acids, necessary for the growth of the bivalves and which they are unable to synthesize themselves.

Because micro-algae cells grow in aqueous suspension, they have more efficient access to water, CO2, and other waste nutrients they like to consume.

A large proportion (commonly about a third) of each microscopic micro-algae plant is made up of oil. This oil is a rich and nutritious source of protein – qualifying some microalgae strains – such as Spirulina – a valuable source of nutrition in human diets and an excellent feed and feed supplement for a variety of animals.

While fish oil has become famous for its Omega-3 fatty acid content, fish don't actually produce Omega-3s, instead accumulating their Omega-3 reserves by consuming micro-algae.

MBD Energy and its oil extraction technology partner, OriginOil, are perfecting their technique to extract large volumes of oil from micro-algae on a large-scale and efficient continuous basis.