SBIR Phase I: Development of a Two-Stage Culture Process for Production of Omega 3 Rich Algae from Biodiesel Waste Glycerol for Use as an Aquaculture Fish Feed Supplement

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目开发了一种异养微藻的两阶段培养工艺，细胞密度超过100g/L，以生物柴油行业副产品粗甘油为原料生产omega-3脂肪酸，特别是DHA。这项第一阶段研究的总体目标是扩大和优化这一过程，并评估其经济可行性和未来研究、开发和商业销售的可行性。研究目标是：(1)提炼扩大规模的培养基组分；(2)评估KLA作为扩大实验室规模DHA生产过程的参数；以及(3)评估该过程的经济可行性和总体可行性。更广泛的影响将是解决生物柴油行业的废甘油处理问题，同时提供有助于减少水产养殖对鱼油和鱼粉的依赖的基本鱼类饲料补充剂。这一成本较低的藻类养殖过程有助于用富含omega-3的藻类补充剂完全取代鱼油补充剂；从而提高更健康鱼类产品的适销性，同时也有助于保护我们枯竭的海洋渔业免受进一步退化。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project develops a two-stage culture process of heterotrophic microalgae with a high cell density of more than 100 g/L to produce omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA, from the crude glycerol produced as a by-product by the biodiesel industry. The overall objective for this Phase I research is to scale-up and optimize this process and assess its economic viability and feasibility for future research, development, and commercial sales. The research objectives are to: (1) refine the culture medium components for scale-up; (2) evaluate KLa as a parameter for scale-up of the lab-scale DHA production process; and (3) assess the economic viability and overall feasibility of the process.The broader impact will be to solve the problem of waste glycerol treatment in the biodiesel industry while providing an essential fish feed supplement that could help reduce the reliance of aquaculture on fish oil and fishmeal. This reduced cost algal culture process could help to completely substitute fish oil supplementation with omega-3 enriched algae supplementation; thereby resulting in enhanced marketability of the healthier fish product while also aiding in protecting our depleted marine fisheries from further degradation.