Commercial Microalgae Cultivation in Industrial Scale with Subitec Flat Panel Airlift Photobioreactors The patented Flat Panel Airlift (FPA) photobioreactor was designed for industrial scale production of microalgae biomass. Unlike many other reactor types the FPA is capable of utilizing very high light intensities without the need for shading and algae are efficiently transferred to light. The Subitec FPA reactor is an excellent choice for industrial cultivation application. Excellent productivity, high culture density and high process integrity are key features of the Subitec FPA reactor.

1. Commercial Microalgae Cultivation
in Industrial Scale with Subitec
Flat Panel Airlift Photobioreactors
© Subitec GmbH │ Julius-Hölder-Strasse 36, 70597 Stuttgart, Germany │ info@subitec.com │ www.subitec.com
Production Systems Laboratory Equipment Expertise and Services

2. Microalgae — microscopically small yet yielding
huge economic and environmental potential.
It is estimated that there are between 250
thousand to several million different algae
species. Thereof only 35 000 species have
been scientifically recorded so far.
There are around 5 thousand algae species
available from culture collections around the
world. However, only round 20 species are
currently utilized for commercial applications.
Given the commercial applications of today
have been achieved with only a few microalgae
species, the thousands of still undiscovered
and unutilized species present a huge
potential for economic exploitation.
Resources Products
Microalgae are a fascinating life form. They live as plantlike organism usually in water and are capable of photosynthesis. Microalgae
are less than one millimeter of size and due to their small size, they have a high surface to volume ratio, which enables significantly
faster growth than terrestrial plants.
Microalgae have all important characteristics of plants from an economical utilization standpoint — they need nutrients, light (which
can be either sunlight or artificial light or both) and CO2 as carbon source, and given the right conditions they grow and produce
biomass that contains various valuable substances.
Since microalgae can be cultivated in special photobioreactors, cultivation can be performed under controlled conditions indoors or,
in greenhouses or even outdoors where the cultivating conditions are more variable. Controlled conditions ensure better overall
control of the process and such a more stable product quality.
There is a multitude of ingredients that can
be obtained from microalgae that find use in
various economically interesting commercial
applications.
Dietary supplements, nutraceuticals as also
fish feed and cosmetics are among the most
common applications for microalgae today.
The current market outlook for the
microalgae industry is favorable. With an
increased demand for farmed fish and
natural feed and dietary supplements and
nutraceuticals, there is an growing demand
for high quality microalgae based products.

3. Industrial Production and Beneficiation of Microalgae
In view of commercial, industrial production
and beneficiation of microalgae, the key is to
manage the input costs — the cost of the
resources needed for cultivation. Thus, it is
advisable that the production is setup in an
location where the main resources i.e.
electricity, CO2 and water are available at
favorable cost, in the vicinity of other
industry e.g. a power plant or a biogas plant
that can also utilize the residue biomass.
As cultivation conditions can vary
significantly between different algae species,
microalgae production systems are designed
based on the specific algae species and the
intended application or end product.
The patented Flat Panel Airlift (FPA) photobioreactor was
designed for industrial scale production of microalgae
biomass. The standard reactor sizes are 6, 28 and 180
Liter reactors whereby production systems typically range
from tens to hundreds of 180 liter reactors.
Unlike many other reactor types the FPA is capable of
utilizing very high light intensities without the need for
shading and algae are efficiently transferred to light.
The Subitec FPA reactor is an excellent choice for
industrial cultivation application. Excellent productivity,
high culture density and high process integrity are key
features of the Subitec FPA reactor.
Subitec plans and supplies turnkey production systems to its
customers. The delivery is planned in accordance with the user
requirements and is implemented based on a proven project
execution method which is designed in increase the user
involvement the further the project advances. This enables the
user to obtain the necessary information, training and
capabilities progressively during the project delivery.
Subitec production systems are modular and easily customized
to different user requirements. The systems are typically highly
automated and include integrated media preparation,
harvesting, pH control, cooling and cleaning systems.
e.g. Power Plant

4. Subitec is a German technology company headquartered in Stuttgart
that specializes in process engineering and the supply of microalgae
cultivation equipment and turn-key production systems.
Established as a spin off from the Fraunhofer Institute, Subitec looks
back at more than 20 years of experience with microalgae. Subitec is
the developer and technology owner of the unique and patented Flat
Panel Airlift (FPA) photobioreactor. Today, Subitec's equipment is
used for cultivating high value microalgae that find application in e.g.
nutraceuticals, aquaculture, cosmetics and healthcare.
We are a passionate team and thrive to always deliver our best to our
customers and partners. Our expertise and services include process
development, laboratory cultivation equipment, turn-key supply of
production plants and technical support.
© Subitec GmbH │ Julius-Hölder-Strasse 36, 70597 Stuttgart, Germany │ info@subitec.com │ www.subitec.com