Prototype devices enable scientists to increase product quality while reducing costs.

IBioIC funding enabled Scottish biotech company ScotBio to work with experts at the University of Edinburgh to improve the quality of their natural blue colourant whilst also lowering production costs.

ScotBio has developed a unique method for the production of C-phycocyanin, a naturally occuring blue pigment extracted from spirulina, which provides improved provenance, quality, sustainability and security of the colourant. Natural products are in high demand, but with concerns over how they are sourced and whether supplies are sustainable, ScotBio wanted to see if their process could be improved.

Through IBioIC’s project funding programme, they teamed up with Alistair McCormick and Simone Dimartino at the University of Edinburgh, who used their expertise in 3D printing and downstream processing to increase the purity of the product, while simultaneously reducing the associated costs.

3D printing with more complex geometries

Dr Dimartino’s research group used their expertise in 3D printing of chromatography columns to produce prototype devices for testing. Dr McCormick’s group was then able to optimise the processing of the algae cell extract, testing crude extracts and those that had been filtered. Different geometries of the columns’ internal pores allowed cruder extracts to be processed, significantly reducing the pre-processing steps required.

New opportunities for ScotBio

The new 3D printed columns displayed similar or improved performance to those currently in use and could be produced at a fraction of the cost. The new columns also allowed the processing of cruder extracts, further reducing the costs and wastes associated with pre-processing. The project was also able to demonstrate that the process could be scaled beyond proof of concept, reducing risks for the company moving forwards.

A purer product achieving a higher pricing point

ScotBio now has a potential route to produce a purer product that will gain a higher pricing point and open new markets for the company. The success of this project has led to several opportunities for further collaboration, including on the production of a more heat tolerant product.

“The project showcases the impressive technical and knowledge excellence of the region… and the success of Innovation Centres such as IBioIC in facilitating impactful collaboration between academia and industry.” Rocky Kindt, ScotBio.

This project follows on from an earlier IBioIC funded project. Read the case study here.