FRUTALGA

Objective

The main objective of the FRUTALGA project is to develop an innovative decarbonisation solution through the valorisation of fruit waste in microalgal biomass platforms, which will be used to obtain new high added-value products.

The project involves the research and development of 3 innovative processes from fruit waste, such as:

1. Mixed cultivation of microalgae and bacteria for biofertiliser products or petfood, among others.
2. Pure cultivation of microalgae for cosmetic products.
3. Processes to obtain extracts of interest for cosmetic products from waste and microalgal biomass.

In addition, the project includes the assessment of the feasibility of new high added-value products with a reduced carbon footprint.

Activities

1. Pretreatment
2. Microalgae-bacteria cultivation
3. Pure microalgae cultivation
4. Downstream
5. New cosmetic products

Results

• Development of an anaerobic digestion system that exclusively uses fruit waste from the FRUTALGA scheme, capable of producing 28 m³ of methane per tonne of treated waste in a stable manner, generating an alternative energy source.
• Stable production of mixed microalgae-bacteria biomass at pilot scale, using culture media formulated with juices obtained from the valorisation of different types of discarded fruit, with orange juice being selected.
• Nutritional analysis of the mixed microalgae-bacteria biomass for its theoretical validation as an ingredient for animal feed and its comparison with other commercial ingredients.
• Semi-industrial-scale production of large quantities of dry biomass from 2 different microalgae species (>20 kg dry matter), which were subsequently used for the extraction activities of high-value compounds for the cosmetics sector.
• Quantification of CO₂ equivalent emissions from the valorisation model, including the emissions avoided through the generation of heat, electricity and organic fertiliser, and comparison of the reduction achieved versus conventional alternatives.
• Development of green processes specifically selected to obtain extracts with cosmetic-use biological activities specifically validated in the project (antioxidant, depigmenting, healing, TRPA1 modulation) from biomass derived from fruit by-products and microalgae, through a study applying different strategies and alternatives for supercritical CO₂ extraction processes, including extraction with modifiers and pressurised liquid extraction.

Dissemination/Transfer

Dissemination articles

• The impact of innovation on the development of the cosmetics industry

Press release

• AINIA generates a social impact of 464 million euros and reduces its carbon footprint by 12% in 2024
• Decarbonising the fruit sector by transforming fruit losses into new bioproducts for cosmetic use
• Valorisation of fruit waste and microalgae for sustainable applications in biorefineries, cosmetics and pet food
• FRUTALGA demonstrates the potential of advanced technologies to transform residual fruit into renewable energy and extracts for cosmetics