{"id":220147,"date":"2025-01-21T00:37:26","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T00:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/21\/inside-icelands-futuristic-farm-growing-algae-for-food\/"},"modified":"2025-01-21T00:37:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T00:37:27","slug":"inside-icelands-futuristic-farm-growing-algae-for-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/21\/inside-icelands-futuristic-farm-growing-algae-for-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Iceland’s futuristic farm growing algae for food"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Inside<\/div>


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\"VaxaVaxa<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Vaxa bathes microalgae in a pink-purple light<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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In the shadow of Iceland\u2019s largest geothermal power station, a large warehouse houses a hi-tech indoor farm of sorts that\u2019s like nothing I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n

Under a strange pink-purple glow, illuminated panels buzz and cylindrical columns of water bubble away, as a futuristic crop of microalgae grows.<\/p>\n

It’s here that Iceland’s Vaxa Technologies has developed a system that harnesses energy and other resources from the nearby power plant, to cultivate these tiny aquatic organisms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a new way of thinking about food production,\u201d says general manager, Kristinn Haflidason as he gives me a tour of the space-age facility.<\/p>\n

For much of our history, humans have consumed seaweed, also know as macroalgae.<\/p>\n

But its tiny relative, microalgae has been a less common food source, although it was eaten for centuries in ancient Central America and Africa.<\/p>\n

Now scientists and entrepreneurs are increasingly exploring its potential as a nutrition-rich, sustainable food.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About 35 minutes from the capital Reykjavik, the Vaxa site produces the microalgae Nannochloropsis, both as food for people, and for feed in fish and shrimp farming.<\/p>\n

It also grows a type of bacteria called Arthospira, also known as blue-green algae, as it shares similar properties with microalgae.<\/p>\n

When dried out it’s know as spirulina and is used as a dietary supplements, a food ingredients, and as a bright-blue food colouring.<\/p>\n

These tiny organisms photosynthesise, capturing energy from light to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe algae is eating CO2, or turning the CO2 into biomass,\u201d explains Mr Haflidason. \u201cIt’s carbon negative.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"VaxaVaxa<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Vaxa’s plant uses electricity from an adjacent geothermal power plant<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Vaxa’s plant has a unique situation.<\/p>\n

It’s the only place where algae cultivation is integrated with a geothermal power station, which supplies clean electricity, delivers cold water for cultivation, hot water for heating, and even pipes across its CO2 emissions.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou end up with a slightly negative carbon footprint,\u201d says Asger Munch Smidt-Jensen, a food technology consultant at Danish Technology Institute (DTI), who co-authored a study assessing the environmental impact of Vaxa\u2019s spirulina production.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also found a relatively low footprint, both in terms of land and water use.\u201d<\/p>\n

Round-the-clock renewable energy, plus a stream of CO2, and nutrients with a low carbon footprint, are needed to ensure the setup is climate-friendly, and he thinks that isn\u2019t easily replicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a huge input of energy to run these photo-bioreactors, and you have to artificially simulate the sun, so you need a high energy light source,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

“My main takeaway is that we should utilise these areas [like Iceland] where we have low impact energy sources to make energy intensive products,\u201d adds Mr Munch Smidt-Jensen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"VaxaVaxa<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt’s a new way of thinking about food production,\u201d says Kristinn Haflidason<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Back at the algae plant, I climb onto an elevated platform, where I\u2019m surrounded by noisy modular units called photo-bioreactors, where thousands upon thousands of tiny red and blue LED lights fuel the microalgae\u2019s growth, in place of sunlight. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re also supplied water and nutrients.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than 90% of the photosynthesis happens within very specific wavelengths of red and blue light,\u201d explains Mr Haflidason. \u201cWe are only giving them the light that they use.\u201d<\/p>\n

All the conditions are tightly controlled and optimised by machine learning, he adds.<\/p>\n

About 7% of the crop is harvested daily, and rapidly replenished by new growth.<\/p>\n

Vaxa\u2019s facility can produce up to 150 metric tonnes of algae annually, and it plans to expand.<\/p>\n

As the crops are rich in protein, carbohydrate, omega-3s, fatty-acids, and vitamin B12, Mr Haflidason believes growing microalgae this way, could help tackle global food insecurity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Many other companies are betting on the potential of microalgae – it’s estimated the market will be worth $25.4bn (\u00a320.5bn) by 2033.<\/p>\n

Danish start-up Algiecel has been trialling portable shipping container-sized modules that house photo-bioreactors, and which could link up to carbon-emitting industries to capture their CO2, while simultaneously producing food and feed.<\/p>\n

Crops are also being used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, biofuel and a replacement for plastic. <\/p>\n

Perhaps also microalgae could be produced in space.<\/p>\n

In a project funded by the European Space Agency, the Danish Technological Institution plans to test if a microalgae can be grown on the International Space Station<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"GettyGetty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Many firms are developing microalgae as animal feed and for human food<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Despite all the investment, there\u2019s some way to go before micro-algae become an everyday part of our diet.<\/p>\n

It still needs a lot of development, according to Mr Munch Smidt-Jensen.<\/p>\n

He points out that the texture lacks firmness. Meanwhile the taste can be “fishy” if the algae is a saltwater variety. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut there are ways of coming overcoming this,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the societal question.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre people ready for it? How do we make it so that everyone wants to eat this?”<\/p>\n

Malene Lihme Olsen, a food scientist at Copenhagen University who researches micro algae, says its nutritional value needs more research.<\/p>\n

“Green microalgae [chlorella] have a very robust cell wall, so it can be difficult for us to digest and get all the nutrients,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For now she says microalgae is better added to other \u201ccarrier products\u201d like pasta or bread to help with taste, texture and appearance.<\/p>\n

However, Ms Olsen believes microalgae are a promising future food.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you compare one hectare of soy in Brazil, and imagine we had one hectare of algae field, you could produce 15 times more protein a year [from the algae].\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Green sludge anyone?<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Back at the plant I’m looking at an unappetising green sludge. It’s the harvested microalgae with the water squeezed out, ready for further processing. <\/p>\n

Mr Haflidason offers me a taste and, after initial reluctance, I try some and find its flavour neutral with a texture like tofu.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are absolutely not proposing that anyone should eat green sludge,\u201d jokes Mr Haflidason.<\/p>\n

Instead the processed algae is an ingredient for everyday foods, and in Reykjavik one bakery makes bread with Spirulina and a gym puts it in smoothies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to change what you eat. We’re just going to change the nutritional value of the foods that you eat,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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More Technology of Business<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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Vaxa Vaxa bathes microalgae in a pink-purple light In the shadow of Iceland\u2019s largest geothermal power station, a large warehouse houses a hi-tech indoor farm of sorts that\u2019s like nothing I\u2019ve ever seen. Under a strange pink-purple glow, illuminated panels buzz and cylindrical columns of water bubble away, as a futuristic crop of microalgae grows. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":220148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[604],"tags":[28800,7310,1720,50535,7265,18586],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220147"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220147"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":220149,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220147\/revisions\/220149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}