Unlocking Microalgae to power regenerative Biorefineries

The problem

The transition to a regenerative bioeconomy is constrained by the scarcity of sustainable, local, and stable raw materials. This particularly affects sectors such as agriculture, energy, fuels, and foods among others.

Current supply chains largely depend on non-renewable resources, intensive farming, or fragile logistics chains. Circulars and scalables raw materials with sustainables process are needed

Solution (part of)

Microalgae based biorefineries

Biorefineries can help solve the problem of the sustainable raw material supply chain by:

Circular economy: They utilize non-conventional materials (industrial waste, effluents, etc.), reducing dependence on limited natural resources.

Reducing competition for resources: They can operate on land unsuitable for agriculture and use non-potable water, avoiding competition with agriculture.

Decarbonizing : By utilizing CO₂ and organic waste, they help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Innovating processes: They develop more efficient and sustainable technologies to transform resources, creating new high-value products.

Fast growht & productivity

very short life cycle and can multiply rapidly under controlled conditions. This allows them to generate biomass efficiently and in large quantities, which is essential for large-scale production in a biorefinery.

Versatility & decentralized cultivation

Controled, predictible and optimizable production and better active ingredients quality.

Circular economy and mitigation

GHG mitigation and industrial CO2 and efluents
emissions upcycling

Key aspects to scalability

The microalgae industry has evolved in the last decade from high-value applications to broader production models, making it possible to offer agricultural bioinputs, functional ingredients, aquaculture, biofertilizers and biomaterials under a B2B model.

The scalability of the Microalgae is conditioned by its ability to scale in an sustainable manner, in three key areas. Energy, cultivation Tech, and Nutrients.

Energy: Energy consumption (lighting, agitation, pumping, centrifugation, drying) is one of the main operating costs.

Trend: The incorporation of renewable energy (solar, wind, cogeneration) and industrial integration strategies (use of waste heat, location in industrial plants) allow for a progressive reduction in these costs.

Technology Curve: Downward-sloping. Benefits from global improvements in energy efficiency and lower technology costs.

Cultivation Technology: Open systems (raceways) are low-cost but difficult to control; closed systems (photobioreactors) allow for greater productivity but require greater investment.

Trend: A transition is observed toward modular, automated photobioreactors with lower CAPEX, allowing for gradual scaling and adaptation to the environment.

Technology curve: Downward. Innovation in materials, sensors, and automation favors cost reduction.

Low-Cost Nutrients: The Bottleneck and the Key
Current situation: In general, synthetic culture media (such as BG-11 or f/2) are formulated with chemical fertilizers to supply macronutrients, which hinders large-scale production due to their high costs and low sustainability.

Trend: The goal is to replace these chemicals materials with alternative sources such as digestates, agro-industrial effluents, treated wastewater, or organic byproducts, in addition to capturing CO2 emissions from different sources.

Technology curve: Flat. It does not fall naturally over time as in the case of energy or technology, since it depends on contextual factors (location, logistics, regulation). There is no "universal technology" for formulating a microalgae culture medium from these industrial emissions or byproducts. Pretreatment, adaptation, standardization, and risk assessment are required.

Strategic implication: Obtaining nutrients locally, stably, and in a treated manner is the true determinant of large-scale viability. Without this, reductions in energy and technology are not enough.

Our process innovation

Through a technological integration with anaerobic biodigestion processes and biogas plants we have developed an innovative process for producing culture medium for the cultivation of microalgae, taking advantage of by-products of these plants such as digestate (without dilution), and biogas combustion gases, seeking to improve the operational efficiency and sustainability of biogas plants, while empowering the scalability of microalgae biorefineries through a low-cost culture medium and the selection of specific strains of microalgae adapted to this of interest for use as raw material by companies for agricultural products, biofuels, food, biopigments among others.

Our team

Mauro Barberis

CEO & Founder

Chemical Engineer - Biogas Specialist - Master's in Renewable Energy. Founder Institut graduate. Second time Founder

Valentina Jalife

R&D- Microalgae Laboratory-Product development

Biotechnologist- Experience in molecular biology techniques, bacterial cultures and plant phytopathology,

Bastiaan Zwikker

Angel investor & partner

Degree in Business Administration and International Marketing. Experience in coaching and consultancy for family business, searching to combine personal growth, building good relationships and sound long-term business success.