Although natural sources have long been exploited for astaxanthin production, it is still uncertain if natural
astaxanthin can be produced at lower cost than that of synthetic astaxanthin or not. In order to give a
comprehensive cost analysis of astaxanthin production from Haematococcus, a pilot plant with two large scale
outdoor photobioreactors and a raceway pond was established and operated for 2 years to develop processes
for astaxanthin production from Haematococcus. The developed processes were scaled up to a hypothetical
plant with a production capacity about 900 kg astaxanthin per year, and the process economics was
preliminarily assessed. Based on the analysis, the production cost of astaxanthin and microalgae biomass can
be as low as $718/kg and $18/kg respectively. The results are very encouraging because the estimated cost
might be lower than that of chemically synthesized astaxanthin.