Sun Chemical's California-grown spirulina will feature sustainable smart farming practices with the opening of a new edible algae cultivation facility by DIC Corporation's subsidiary, Earthrise Nutritionals, LLC.
Using advanced technologies to bolster crop yields and quality by facilitating real-time monitoring of growing conditions and environmental data, smart farming enhances the sustainability of agriculture by contributing to energy and water conservation and environmental awareness.
A supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system centrally manages cultivation for the entire 420,000 m2 facility, gathering and analyzing data and transforming it into an accessible visual format. Collaborative robot arms are deployed at the facility, ensuring safe operations and reducing costs.
The facility employs a cutting-edge AI-driven system as well as a drone-based facility analysis system to assess algae growth, ensure high-quality production and comply with regulations.
Over 1,200 tons of CO2 are purified to help fuel the growth of spirulina during photosynthesis, ensuring the facility's ability to produce safe, high-quality and sustainable crops. More than 50 percent of the facility's energy needs to cultivate spirulina are delivered through renewable energy provided by Imperial Irrigation District, a public corporation in Southern California that supplies water and power to local farmland.
The facility also uses a state-of-the-art water control management system to produce Sun Chemical's LINABLUE® spirulina extract, a naturally derived blue food coloring. The water control management system simultaneously achieves zero discharge of industrial offsite wastewater while delivering outstanding product quality.
"Sun Chemical, as part of the DIC Group, views sustainability as a key aspect of its management policy," said Yangyang Jin, Business Manager, Food and Nutrition at Sun Chemical. "By combining smart farming techniques with sustainable solutions, such as renewable energy and zero discharge of industrial offsite wastewater, this new facility ensures our California-grown spirulina will remain a superior environmentally-friendly solution to our customers around the world."
For more information:
Sun Chemical
www.sunchemical.com/