Study of high-power ultrasound-assisted extraction to obtain biopigmentos from powdered microalgae biomass

• Grant number: 25/11134-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 08, 2025
• End date: January 07, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Industrial Operations and Equipment for Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Lívia Chaguri e Carvalho
• Grantee: Vinicius Koji Mikami Sugahara
• Supervisor: Ramon Felipe Moreira Martinez
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad De Santiago De Compostela, Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/19451-7 - Study of influence of conventional and ultrasound-assisted extraction to obtain biogments from microalgae biomass dried by spray drying, under different operations conditions, BP.IC

Abstract

Microalgal biopigments have beneficial properties for human health, such as antioxidants, vitamins precursors and immune stimulants. In addition to being attractive, they are biodegradable, resistant to pH changes, and useful in various industrial sectors, such as nutraceutical industry. Their increasing use leads to the development for natural dyes, attributing high added value to microalgae and their byproducts. Due to their high moisture content, microalgal biomass availability can be increased by dehydration, allowing subsequent extraction of biopigments. This project aims to obtain biopigments-specifically chlorophyll and carotenoids-through ultrasound-assisted extraction. The proposed ultrasound-assisted extraction method stands out due to the high power (1000W), the use of water as a solvent-reducing the need for toxic organic solvents-lower extraction temperature (below 30°C), and simultaneous control of temperature and frequency. The extraction step will also be studied through the determination of its operational parameters. Since biopigments are currently obtained through conventional extraction methods, the capacity antioxidant and total quantity of chlorophyll and carotenoids of extracts by both methods can be compared. (AU)