The present work describes the activities developed at A4f (Algae for Future) during the Master’s in Biological and Chemical Engineering curricular internship, as well as a brief proposal of the sterilization methodologies that can be used to avoid contaminations. The A4f company is dedicated to research and production of microalgae and develops the innovation research in a pilot scale production unit, where the internship took place. Microalgae production is achieved in photobioreactors that provide optimal growth conditions for these organisms. There are some systems that are indirectly linked to production, which are essential to this operation, such as thermoregulation, carbonation, aeration and effluent treatment systems. The production of microalgae has four main stages: inoculation, production, harvesting and processing where microalgae biomass is obtained (final product in the form of paste or powder). This biomass can be used for food, pharmaceutical and biofuel applications and is considered a product with numerous high value compounds. The internship lasted five months and aimed to learn and apply different methods in all procedures associated with the production of microalgae at the pilot scale. This project also allowed to research and propose alternative sterilization techniques for future implementation in the microalgae production unit. These proposals aim to achieve the microbiological safety levels required by food and pharmaceutical industry. The sterilization techniques suggested were: the use of an ozone system; the implementation of a continuous sterilizer for sterilization of culture medium, the use of absolute filters and the design of non-absolute filters for air sterilization.
All internship was a rewarding and interesting experience as it allowed the contact with innovation and product development in business environment as well as the daily work in a biological engineering industry
