Efficient and Continuous Extraction

The patent-pending Live Extraction process enables OriginOil to extract algae oil on a continuous basis without cell sacrifice. The process can be operated in parallel with Cascading Production™ to create a combined cycle with increased productivity.

Live Extraction, or ‘milking’, is inherently efficient because it achieves continuous algae oil production without destroying the algae cell. Therefore a single algae cell can produce more oil during its lifetime using lower amounts of energy.

Harvesting lipids in the Live Extraction process

Inexpensive and Versatile

Unlike other approaches to live extraction, OriginOil’s process does not employ expensive consumables such as reverse osmosis membranes; furthermore, it is not limited to oil-bearing algae strains, such as Botryococcus braunii, that are known to excrete algae oil naturally.

Avoiding Permanent Damage

Algae typically protect their oil behind a tough cell wall. The challenge of live extraction is to harvest the oil without causing permanent damage to the cell. Live Extraction works by stimulating the algae cells through specific electrical modulations. OriginOil has succeeded in maintaining healthy algae cultures while continuously harvesting oil from them.

At any time in the continuous process, only some algae cells are ready for extraction. The process harvests these cells while the ‘unripe’ cells continue to grow. The harvested cells will eventually regenerate oils for another harvest.

More Benefits

Aside from any production gains, combining the two processes is desirable because algae cultures must be refreshed regularly to remove waste toxins. Cascading Production supports Live Extraction by removing a percentage of the culture every day, refreshing the environment and giving the algae culture space to grow.

Live lipid extraction is especially beneficial when used with algae that have been genetically engineered for faster growth rate or higher lipid yields. With Live Extraction, OriginOil provides a technology platform for companies that are working to improve algae stains  for greater productivity.

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