Oil extraction from unicellular algae
Hello, I’m a biotechnology engineer leading a startup focused on producing DHA-rich oil (Omega-3) from algal biomass, specifically thraustochytrids, a unicellular microorganism.
The major problem I’m currently facing is the separation and recovery of oil from the algal biomass using green processing methods.
My current process is:
Concentrate the biomass.
Wash it three times.
Perform enzymatic cell lysis using proteases.
Attempt to recover the released oil.
However, at laboratory scale, I cannot visibly recover or separate the oil after enzymatic treatment.
I’m looking for help specifically with green and low-cost cell disruption and oil-recovery approaches, using only the equipment and materials currently available in my laboratory:
Enzymatic lysis
Mechanical shearing/homogenization
pH variation
NaCl-based destabilization/desaggregation
I do not currently have access to sophisticated equipment such as high-pressure homogenizers, bead mills, supercritical CO₂ extraction, centrifuges designed for industrial oil recovery, or other advanced extraction systems.
I would therefore appreciate a practical laboratory-scale strategy for improving cell disruption → oil release → phase separation, while keeping the process as green and simple as possible.