An innovative design of a closed photobioreactor, aimed towards the large-scale production of biomass against a low cost price, has a very high potential. Especially the use of the photobioreactor for cultivating microalgae for the production of specific biomass results in a yield per hectare that is 10 to 30 times higher than the production through agricultural crops. Moreover, such a reactor allows the selection of specific algae characteristics e.g. aimed towards a high level of oils and fatty acids and/our other preferable high-quality substances.

Through the AFBR project, Proviron develops a protected conceptual low cost reactor design that can be produced and exploited in the short term. Therefore, the innovation study aims at elaborating a proof of concept that afterwards will be tested and evaluated. Both the energy consumption as the CO2-uptake of the algae are optimized, and the production capacity modeled. Furthermore a feasibility study of an automatized production line will be executed with the definition of the life span. Finally a micro and macro economic evaluation will be made.

A successful outcome may shape the further development of the technology that intends cultivating microalgae with high quality applications in various sectors, e.g. in the food industry, oleochemistry, pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic industry, etc. The exploitation potential of the new technology is highly estimated and the realization is a part of the AFBR project and will be reinforced by the Sunlight project “Lipid-based, high value products and renewable energy from microalgae”.