Aurora Algae, a developer of high-performance, premium algae-based products, is broadening its operations by opening a new regional headquarters in Perth, Australia. Australian Managing Director and Aurora Algae co-founder, Matthew Caspari, will be responsible for leading the new office, overseeing the construction and operation of the company’s first commercial-scale facility, located in the Northwest region of Australia.
Aurora Algae recently launched the first photosynthetic platform for producing sustainable, premium products in the industry. In Q3, the company decided to move forward on expanding its product portfolio to include renewable fuels, high concentration Omega-3 fatty acids, high-density proteins and fish feed. 13 people are currently employed by the company in Australia, which is expected to more than double by the end of the year.
“As we searched for the ideal location of our first commercial production facility, we identified a number of key factors that were critical to delivering maximum value from our high-tech farming process,” stated Matt Caspari. “The combination of a perfect climate and the right blend of resources—including abundant seawater, industrial CO2 and skilled labor—made Northwestern Australia an ideal location for our initial, high-yield commercial facility. These elements combined with the outstanding support of the Australian government at all levels, makes Perth a perfect launching point for commercializing our technology.”
As algae is considered to be the most productive source of biomass, the company has optimized salt-water algae strains, which thrive in open ponds utilizing seawater, rather than fresh water, for the purpose of resource conservation. Aurora Algae has also developed a unique, energy efficient process for harvesting, utilizing technology generally used in the waste-water treatment industry, rather than using a traditional centrifuge approach. These process improvements over traditional algae production, harvesting and extraction methods, combined with the company’s ability to take excess carbon dioxide from third-party industrial plants, will result in premium, low-cost and carbon-neutral to carbon-negative products.
