Controlled Extraction of Chlorophyll from Algae

The world is facing a looming population crisis and production of sufficient food to feed humanity will be a major challenge. Simultaneously, our continued reliance on chemical pesticides to sustain crop yields has resulted in severe resistance issues and foodstuffs contaminated with pesticides. New methods to kill these pathogens is required. The algae pigments chlorophylls are photoactive compounds that can be used as antimicrobial materials by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). The challenge was that the isolation and scale-up of these photosensitizers has not yet been achieved. Extraction and separation of these photoactive compounds are of significant importance in the design and development of new types of antipathogen formulations using ROS. This project will investigate how we can extract and purify derivatives of chlorophyll from algae using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). Accordingly, improving the quality of products can lead to an increase in sales and profits for the partner organization.

Faculty Supervisor:

Paul Charpentier

Student:

Partner:

Suncor Energy Inc (Mississauga, ON)

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Agriculture; Manufacturing; Mining

University:

The University of Western Ontario

Program: