Danish startup Algiecel announced that its Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP) application has been approved and that funding of DKK 18 million (USD 2.6 million) has been granted. The other project partners are Novozymes, DTU Chemical Engineering, Knowledge Hub Zealand and Power to Climate Change.

The purpose of this EUDP project is to demonstrate that even relatively small amounts of CO₂ from industrial sites can feasibly be converted to and utilized as valuable downstream B2B bio-based products. In this case, CO₂ from Novozymes will be collected and applied in the Algiecel photobioreactor (PBR), and once the algae-based biomass is harvested, it will be demonstrated that water and nutrients can be reused, and the biomass can be sent off for further processing. Knowledge Hub Zealand will manage the project, and the Technical University of Denmark will secure that the entire techno-economic part of the technology will be well-documented.

Algiecel’s solution is targeting small and mid-sized industries considered too small for large P2X projects. The utilization of CO₂ will efficiently take place through photosynthesizing microalgae while generating biomass and bio-oil for industries such as cosmetics, food, aquaculture feed, biofertilizer and bioplastics.

Once finalized, the project intends to demonstrate how future biogas and fermentation clients of the Algiecel carbon utilization as a service technology can valorize their CO₂ emissions to the benefit of everybody in the value chain.

“Receiving such a significant grant from EUDP and having such well-renowned partners included in the project is a very important stamp of approval for our technology and business offering. We would like to become known for our ability to apply biosolutions to deliver decarbonization and microalgae-based sustainable low-carbon low-footprint products to the market. This demonstration project allows us to tell the tale and demonstrate our ability to deliver on our vision and ambitions,” said CEO and founder of Algiecel, Henrik Busch-Larsen.

“Partnering up with Algiecel to demonstrate the CO₂ removal technology is one of our strategic sustainability bets. This can potentially enable Novozymes to capture CO₂ from our processes that would otherwise be hard to capture since it is considered too small for large P2X projects. This is a part of Novozymes’ ambitious journey to reduce CO₂ emissions by 50% by 2030 and become CO₂-neutral by 2050. There is a good match between Algiecel and Novozymes, both working on developing the innovative biotech solutions the world needs. Novozymes’ Kalundborg site is a good location for demonstrating CO₂ capture by algae processes, having nutrient and CO₂ streams available. During the demonstration, it will be explored whether CO₂ capture can be done by combining Algiecel’s technology with Saipem’s and Novozymes’ enzymatic CO₂ technology for certain types of CO₂ emissions,” Flemming Funch, VP for Engineering, Sourcing and Facility Services at Novozymes, explained.

After having successfully initiated operations of its pilot plant in 2022, Algiecel recently raised funds to move from pilot operations to completing the full-scale design as well as initiating algae-product application trials.