Austria-based BDI – BioEnergy International AG, a company mainly associated with customized biodiesel and industrial biogas plants has announced that it is taking the first step to implementing an in-house developed algae technology. Together with its wholly-owned subsidiary BDI- BioLife Science GmbH, BDI will invest approximately EUR 16 million in the construction of an industrial plant in Austria for production of algae biomass components for the nutraceutical and cosmetics industries.
After several years of research, BDI says that it has succeeded in bringing an innovative algae production system to industrial maturity. With engineering, construction and operation of an industrial algae production plant, BDI enters for the first time this international rapidly developing business sector as premium producer.
To be built at the Ökopark Hartberg in Steiermark, Austria, the ground-breaking ceremony for the highly automated plant is estimated to take place by the end of the year at Ökopark Hartberg. The site was deliberately chosen by BDI as the close proximity to the in-house research centre and to local universities provides synergies for the further development of the algae product range of BDI – BioLife Science.
According to BDI, its algae cultivation system guarantees a “site-independent and constant production” of high-quality algae biomass. The “future-orientated” closed in-door breeding system developed sets “technological standards” in algae production eliminating any negative external influences thus enabling the quickest possible growth of the algae.
Constant production quantities, as well as highest purity and quality of the algae product, are of utmost importance for our future clients – the content must match the label. With the rapidly increasing demand for algae products on the world market, this does not always seem to be the case. Therefore we want to position ourselves as a reliable premium producer, said Edgar Ahn, Member of the Board, BDI – BioEnergy International.
As a first step, BDI – BioLife Science GmbH will produce algae-based additives for the food supplement and cosmetics industry. In the cosmetic and food supplement industry, the application of natural ingredients becomes more and more important – the trend is moving towards biological non-hazardous alternatives.
BDI – BioLife Science concentrates on the production of natural Astaxanthin. This red colouring agent is recovered from special microalgae and is said to be the “diamond” of radical-scavengers and antioxidants.
