PHYTOLINC
- Founded in: 2017
- Number of employees: 3
- Country: Germany
- Investors: Currently funded by a German-European government funding program (EXIST)
- Market: Aquaculture, Microalgae, Food
- Website: Coming soon - www.phytolinc.com
Which input provides your business model/core technology towards a bio-based economy?
PHYTOLINC aims to make microalgae production economic and ecologically sustainable to benefit from the great potential of algal products. The team is developing an innovative photobioreactor for microalgae production. The used membrane system enables highly efficient cultivation as well as the production of new algae species. PHYTOLINC develops a modular system for aquaculture and aquaponics purposes, as well as microalgae mass production.
Which market/clients do you address and which short-term/long-term goals do you have?
We address aquaculture firms as well as microalgae producers. With our photobioreactor, we enable hatcheries to extend their feed spectrum with further algae species containing e.g. very long unsaturated fatty acids. Also, we enable microalgae producers to grow new algae species which are exceptionally rich in e.g. Omega 3 & 6 or consist of valuable pigments.
Currently we are upscaling the lab-scale prototype to industrial scale and will have completed the construction of our new prototype be the end of 2018.
What makes your approach unique compared to other stakeholders in the field?
Current closed photobioreactors are water filled tubular or flat panel systems. Due to arising shear forces, many high value algae species do not grow in these systems. PHYTOLINC enables water separated algae cultivation. Thanks to the innovative membrane system, the algae cells grow immobilized, attached to a membrane. This results in more efficient lighting, a better CO2 supply and higher growth rates. Also, we avoid shear forces and enable the production of new algae species.
You can meet PHYTOLINC in Toulouse at the START-UP VILLAGE @EFIB on 17-18 October.