towards industrial production of “Water Pastel”, an ultra-protein microalgae
The start-up Kyanos Biotechnologies, specializing in microalgae, announces the launch of a production plant for AFA (Aphanizomenon flos aquae) algae in the Toulouse metropolitan area. The objective is to develop in industrial quantities this important source of proteins, respectful of the planet.
Seaweed AFA, Aphanizomen flos-aquae, is a “remarkable” algae according to its promoters. “It contains more than 60% complete protein so that meat typically contains no more than 20 % “ indicated Vinh Ly, the CEO of the society Kyanos Biotechnologies. This former Airbus engineer, graduated from Isae-Supaero, discovered microalgae in the biofuel tested by the aircraft manufacturer.
This blue micro-algae, also called “water pastel” is often considered a food of the future. It is only sourced from Klamath Lake in the United States and has never been cultivated before.
The start-up Kyanos Biotechnologies, founded in 2016 in Toulouse, has designed, developed and patented a production process for this microalgae, the “cyclotrophy“, allowing to increase its production of manner significant, “while using less surface and using GHG emissions“, assures the young company in a press release.
To develop this technique and carry out this pre-industrial project, Kyanos has raised 2.6 million euros in aid and equity.
“We are in the process of bringing together all the ingredients for the successful industrial scale-up of our cultivation technology and mass production of microalgae! “ indicates the boss of Kyanos Biotechnologies.
An industrial production project will thus see the light of day in new premises of 600 m2, based in Beauzelle, near Toulouse (Haute Garonne). Basins, the largest volumes of which will reach 240 m3, will make it possible to produce the algae AFA en masse (algoculture).
In 2020, Kyanos Biotechnologies had already made people talk about it with the installation in the city center of Toulouse of an “algae tree” capable of absorbing as much carbon dioxide as a hundred trees thanks to its micro-algae, rejecting oxygen.
With its technology and its new site, at Beauzelle, Kyanos Biotechnologies intends to participate in an important challenge: that of providing food for 10 billion people on the planet in 2050.