Spirulina is a cyanobacterium that can be consumed by humans and other animals; there are two species, Arthrospira platensis and Arthrospira maxima. Arthrospira is cultivated worldwide; used as a dietary supplement as well as a whole food; and is also available in tablet, flake and powder form. It is also used as a feed supplement in the aquaculture, aquarium and poultry industries.
A spirulina is a spiral algae that grows in fresh-water bodies. This algae provides different benefits.
In growing spirulina, an important thing to consider is your budget or capital. This will let you determine the quantity of spirulina you can grow.
Spirulina is a blue-green algae that grows in warm conditions in alkaline water, enriched with bio-gas slurry--an anaerobic fermented sludge of organic manure and water. It is grown for its use as a protein and vitamin source. Growth is carefully controlled so that there is no chance of contamination from other algae. The Envis Centre in India has developed a system for villages to grow spirulina as a source of protein, using their own sewer sludge as the biogas slurry. The spirulina culture starter is available from The University of Texas.
Your budget will also let you to determine the scope or limitation of your business.
The best places to grow spirulina are old hangar or old buildings of an airport. Other places that provide protection from snow, rain, and wind are also ideal. The main factors in planting spirulina are water, minerals, heat and sunlight.
Certain level of knowledge in spirulina plantation is recommended to gain advantage against other spirulina growers. Once you have planted enough spirulina plants, the next thing to do is to search for clients or buyers. Since spirulina can be used in producing different products, searching for buyers or clients is relatively easy. Spirulina can also be used in producing biodiesel.
Things You'll Need
- 10-gallon clay pots
- Bio-gas slurry (a anaerobic fermented sludge of organic manure and water)
- Sea salt
- Stirring stick
- Spirulina culture (available commercially)
- Sieve
- Cotton dishtowel
- Tray
Growing Spirulina
Your client’s or buyer’s satisfaction greatly depends on the quality of spirulina you will provide them. In order to grow spirulina with high quality, there are several things you should first do. One of which is to create pan for your spirulina plants. You can use water boilers to provide heating to the water so that it will support the growth of algae. If you choose to grow spirulina indoors, your plants would not get enough solar energy, but there is a solution to this by creating parabolic reflectors that focus at the end of fiber optic cables. The fiber cable will then carry the solar energy to your spirulina plants indoor. Another place to grow spirulina is unused ponds or any pond during warm months. You can also create new ponds by digging.
After some period of time, your spirulina plants will be available for harvesting. Harvesting involves an intricate process that is why knowledge on growing spirulina is an advantage. In harvesting, you can use rotating drum that sits just right at the bottom of the pan. Spirulina will then get close to the rotating drum because of the suction inside the drum.
There are some organizations that aid spirulina growers with capital. The government provides loans to spirulina growers most of the cases. This will be helpful if you are having financial constraints in planting spirulina.
To know more about the dos and don’ts in growing spirulina, you can seek advice from people who also deal with the same business. These people will be able to provide you tips in growing spirulina because they have already experienced different scenarios. But if you are planning to seek advice from your competitors, think again, because these people will not help you to become a good competitor, which would mean less income or profit to them.
Instructions
- Fill the clay pots with 8 gallons of water in a spot where they will get full sun.
- Pour approximately 1 gallon of the fermented manure slurry into each container and stir well with a long stick.
- Add 1 tsp. of sea salt to each container and stir again.
- Mix in 1 tsp. of pure-powdered spirulina, and incorporate well by stirring for about 30 seconds.
- Stir the 10-gallon containers three to four times a day to keep the water from stagnating in the sunlight and to provide oxygen to the spirulina as it grows over the next three to four days.
- Remove mature spirulina from the containers with a fine sieve when the mixture has turned a dark green.
- Wash the freshly harvested spirulina in a sieve lined with a clean cotton dishtowel by running clear water over it.
- Spread the spirulina on a tray to dry in a cool, shady place for 12 hours, or use it immediately as a protein addition to recipes.
Commercial Spirulina Production, Growing Spirulina Business, How to Grow Spirulina
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