The new clean technologies based in fluent supercríticos and ultrasounds make possible a competitive extraction equipment equipment in costs and safer that the conventional processes

In the last years, speak of the potential of the microalgas is to refer to the extraction equipment equipment of the oil that contain to use it with energetic ends. At present, new lines of investigation study to use some active principles that contains this oil for his application in cosmetic and feeding. How extract them so that his industrial production was viable is a new challenge.

Between the active principles of greater value that contains the oil of the microalgas find the sour grasos Omega 3, 6 and 9. Iberdrola Engineering and Construction, Algae Biotech, the Institute of the Fat-CSIC and ainia technological centre carry more than three years working in a project of investigation applied whose first results evidencian that the new clean technologies based in fluent supercríticos and ultrasounds allow an extraction equipment equipment of the acids grasos healthy of these more competitive oils in costs and safer that the methods of conventional extraction equipment equipment.

Treats of a big advance, since it supposes to resolve one of the main obstacles for the industrial production and commercialisation of products of base microalgal. The extraction equipment equipment of the oil of the dry biomass of the microalgas is one of the most intensive phases regarding costs and less developed to scale industrial.

The results obtained along the project have showed the remarkable influence of the typology of microalga in the obtaining of the rich fractions in sour grasos healthy. The investigations have realised using two species of microalgas, specifically ‘Nannocloropsis gaditana' and ‘Scenedesmus sp.' The biomass of ‘Nannocloropsis gaditana' has presented a profile of acids grasos especially rich in omega 3 and more specifically, sour eicosapentaenoico (EPA), that associate to the cerebral and ocular development as well as to the prevention of cardiovascular or cerebral illnesses like the Alzehimer.

In the profile of acids grasos of the species ‘Scenedesmus sp' stood out the content in omega 9, substances that also are waking up interest by part of the industry, the dietistas and the consumers. In addition to associating to positive effects on the human metabolism, recently the rich oils in omega 9 have revealed like alternative to substitute the partially hydrogenated oils in the manufacturing of foods, to give place to products healthier and free insurance of the harmful fats ‘trans'.

The utilisation of fluent supercríticos constitutes a much cleaner option and safe that the conventional processes extractivos with dissolvent organic toxic, since it allows to preserve the active principles and own characteristics of the substances, in this case of oils of the microalgas with fundamental substances for the human metabolism, as sour grasos insaturados omega 3, 6 and 9.

This technology attains to apply the CO₂ in a state that is not neither gas neither liquid but presents a combination of intermediate properties acting like a dissolvent clean, generating products exentos of chemical rests. When being inert, also protects to the extracts of the oxidation, that is to say, of the deterioration of the active principle. If to this advantage joins him the ultrasounds, green and sustainable technology, in some cases attains besides abaratar of important form the process extractivo.

With the evaluation of the technical feasibility-economic of this technology extractiva, the project studies his possible implantation to industrial level. To his time, takes into account also formulas more viable of crop and processed of the microalgas, as well as the development of the processes of bioproducción to industrial level that maximice the presence of the appreciated nutrients insaturados omega 3 and omega 9 of pertinent natural origin of a sustainable source, as they are the microalgas.