Growing SpirulinaGrowing spirulina fits with the idea that we need to move away from unsustainable agriculture towards a more sustainable form of aquaculture. Two thirds of our planet is water and we have to work with our water area wisely. For beef, soy beans, eggs, corn, rice and other basic food we need fertile soil. For Spirulina growing we need only desert area which is nonproductive at the moment and we have more than we wish for world-wide. Spirulina can be grown in tropical areas all year in open ponds, but due to unsuitable weather conditions with too much rain and storms during the monsoon season, some farms stop production to ensure the best quality product. Producing food crops requires quite a lot of water during the growing process. In addition good quality water is needed to irrigate crops such as corn and soybeans. To produce the same amount of protein as contained in Spirulina, beef cattle use 28 times more water. Also, Spirulina does not need first grade water, but can do with brackish water with a pH level of 8.5 to 11; water in which almost nothing else can grow except Spirulina.
Above you see two separate algae strains, Dunaliella (left), and Spirulina which are obviously very different being grown in open ponds, or raceways (San Diego, Centre For Algae Biotechnology). The use of energy to produce food is very low in Spirulina farming. Only a pedal wheel circulating Spirulina and to get oxygen into the water is used. Further energy is only used for processing Spirulina. Growing commercial Spirulina in cold or temperate areas is nigh impossible, unless you use a photobioreactor indoors where temperature can be controlled. For good growth Spirulina needs consistent temperature above 25C degress, but never let it climb above 40C. If the temperature falls under 20C degrees the algae will stop growing.
Much of this text for the growing spirulina page was taken from Spirulina, by Harald W. Tietze and a copy of the 78 page book can be downloaded Here. Simply right click and save to your computer. The remaining free booklets you see below were developed by Antenna Technologies.
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