Algal biomass extraction and cultivation

Physical plasma is also suitable for the gentle but effective digestion of microalgae biomass. Microalgae contain a variety of valuable ingredients that can be used for different purposes. For example, they are used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, the food industry and in the production of fine chemicals. However, microalgae have very firm cell walls, which often do not achieve the desired success with conventional digestion methods, either due to insufficient digestion or negative effects (e.g. heat development) on the extract material. A plasma source was developed for digestion using physical plasma, which gently but effectively breaks down the cell walls of the algae. The main effect of the plasma is based on strong shock waves, which are responsible for the digestion result. Negative side effects such as heat development or oxidative processes hardly occur and therefore have no negative effect on the substances to be extracted. It has already been shown that temperature-sensitive substances, such as proteins or coloring pigments, can be extracted particularly well from microalgae without any harmful effect on the molecules.