Objetive. A new source of biostimulants
Our client, a manufacturer of bionutrients and soil improvers for crops, wants to know if a specific species of seaweed can be a new source of biostimulants and thus be able to offer a new product to its clients.
In addition, they want to know the extraction conditions of the bioactive compounds contained in the algae and how to apply the extracts to crops to enhance plant growth.
Solution. We characterize the algae, extract its biostimulants and design the industrial recovery process
The first step was to know the starting algae. We carried out a characterization to know the bioactive compounds that could be extracted. We studied which assays were most suitable for extracting these compounds and what conditions we should test.
Together with our client and with the test plan approved, we carry out the planned extractions. We carry out more than 30 laboratory-scale tests with different extraction conditions.
Each time we carried out an extraction, we also characterized the extract to know the quality of the extracted compounds of interest and thus be able to find the best conditions as we iterated.
The next step was to select the 3 biostimulant extracts that had given us the best results in the laboratory to study their performance in real cultures. We carried out this study in a greenhouse with standardized and controlled conditions, so we could compare the ability of biostimulants to enhance the growth of real plants.
From the best extract, we carry out the design of the industrial valorization process, including the study of economic profitability taking into account industrial scaling.