Long-term evaluation of productivity and harvesting efficiency of an industrial Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) production facility

Abstract

Commercial production of Spirulina (Arthrospira spp.) is a well-established technology and is present throughout the world. However, technical gaps remain regarding the improvement of production, including industrial harvesting and processing. This study aimed to identify and quantify the most relevant gaps to indicate pathways toward scaling up and industrialization. For this endeavor, a commercial-scale raceway pond (300 m2) located in Central Europe was monitored for one year. The data revealed 65 % and 20 % loss of the potential biomass productivity and protein content, respectively, due to seasonal variations. In addition, there was a 30 % biomass loss during the harvesting and post-processing phases, due to variable efficiency of the concentration steps, especially vibrosieve filtration. Overall, optimization of process and post-harvesting technology (e.g., fine-tuned temperature control and minimal loss harvesting operation) may increase productivity by up to around 2-fold to contribute to the development of larger scale facilities in this field.