Veramaris, the DSM and Evonik joint venture to produce omega-3 oil from marine algae, held a topping-out ceremony last weekend at its new production site in Blair, Nebraska.
The construction of the US$ 200 million facility is progressing on schedule. Commercial quantities of algal oil will be ready for delivery in mid-2019, and pilot-scale quantities are already being supplied to selected feed producers and farmers for market development.
“Our algal oil is the response to the industry’s call for a sustainable source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. The known provenance of all the raw materials used in our process makes the product fully traceable,” Veramaris CEO Karim Kurmaly said.
The Nebraska plant will have an initial annual production capacity that could meet roughly 15 percent of the total current annual demand for EPA and DHA by the global salmon aquaculture industry.
Veramaris uses locally sourced sugar in its fermentation process. The algae strain, Schizochytrium, which is applied, has the advantage of producing the essential omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA and the resulting oil has a concentration exceeding 50 percent. The production site will be entirely waste-free.
“The raw material for this disruptive Veramaris technology comes from the heart of American agriculture - from Nebraska. Nebraska corn helps conserve marine life in the ocean. This is a wonderful story and I wish Veramaris all the best in making aquaculture more sustainable,” stated Nebraska Lt. Governor Mike Foley, who attended the ceremony.
