The current food system is seriously challenged by evolving consumers needs and by the rapid world population growth, which could peak to 9.7 billion people in 2060. To provide food system with high nutritional value ingredients, it becomes of paramount important to harness the potential of the oceans in an environmentally responsible manner. Microalgae are a highly promising source of aquatic biomasses and find applications in a wide range of fields, including nutrition and well-being. Currently, no large-scale industrial production site provides access to the exceptional biodiversity of microalgae in an efficient way. Only a few species are produced globally with dedicated production sites. For instance, 70% of the market is currently represented by Spirulina and Chlorella. The SCALE project strives to build and operate a first of its kind Flagship plant producing ingredients with high nutritional value derived from the untapped microalgae diversity, for food, food supplements, feed and cosmetics sectors, through economically-sound processes and in an environmentally friendly way. This Flagship project is based on the unique and cutting-edge CAMARGUE photobioreactor technology developed and patented by Microphyt, a French leading SME in microalgae-based natural solutions for nutrition and well-being. The CAMARGUE technology currently operating and running at demo plant offers both high differentiation potential and the ability to supply natural active ingredients in an industrial and standardized way. SCALE will transfer this technology from the demo plant to the industrial Flagship plant able to produce large-scale volumes of high-value ingredients of unique microalgae species that cannot be supplied from other production technologies. To do so, SCALE project gathers 12 key EU and international partners in an integrated value chain from microalgae production to high value ingredients extraction of bioactives compounds and end-use applications in food, food supplements, feed, and cosmetic domains.

The AFTER-BIOCHEM project aims to create multiple new value chains, from non-food biomass feedstock to multiple end-products, by combining anaerobic batch fermentation and esterification. In the fermentation process robust mixes of naturally occurring micro-organisms will produce organic acids such as propionic, butyric, isobutyric, valeric, isovaleric and caproic acids, with a mineral fertilizer sidestream. Based on the acids, a substantial number of derivatives may be produced, such as Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) and cellulose acetate. The esterification process will convert the acetic acid into ethyl acetate and the propionic acid into ethyl propionate to maximize product value and minimize waste and energy use. The feedstock of the fermentation process may be sugar production byproducts such as beet pulp and molasses, to increase the sustainability of sugar beet, a key European crop. The products will represent valuable renewable, bio-based, domestically-sourced alternatives to petrochemical products in numerous high-value applications such as flavorings and fragrances, hygiene products, pharmaceuticals, antimicrobials and polymers. The mineral fertilizer sidestream will contribute to the EU Action plan for the Circular Economy. The objective from 2020 to 2022 will be to commission the flagship biorefinery in France, which will then run at full capacity and integrate esterification from 2022 to 2024. Two further biorefineries should be initiated in Europe from 2024. The annual revenue generated by the three plants represents ca. €150 million, and at least 180 direct technical jobs and a commensurate number of indirect jobs would be created.

The world is facing the daunting challenge of increasing and improving the quality of its food production to match its population growth, and simultaneously of making its food production system more sustainable if it wants to reach the goals set in the Paris Agreement on climate change (more than a quarter of greenhouse gases are generated by the food production system). In the EU, an additional challenge comes up since about 75% of protein production is imported. This dependence on imports represents a weakness as supply chain disruptions have become much more common, due to pandemic crises or geopolitical upheavals. ARB has developed a high-quality protein ingredient, called SylPro, that addresses all these challenges. It valorises under-used feedstock (such as agricultural or forestry residues) as raw material and harnesses the power of a proprietary yeast to produce a protein rich ingredient that can be used directly for human food or animal feed. ARB’s technology can thus produce proteins both locally and on a very large scale since lignocellulosic material and agricultural side streams are available in huge quantities. Thanks to a robust and efficient process, it also has a low environmental footprint, making its product one of the protein ingredients with the lowest CO2 emissions. SYLPLANT is building on the success of its demonstration program SYLFEED, a 4-years innovative collaborative project financed by BBI-JU (2017-2021).For this project, ARB proposes to move to the next step, building its first-of-a-kind commercial plant with a capacity of 10 kt/year of SylPro and developing market applications with various partners. Upon completion, SYLPLANT will then deliver an industrial plant producing a high-quality protein ingredient, innovative market products in the food, petfood and aquafeed sectors, and a roadmap for building larger plants combining ARB and FIB’s technologies, making the vision of creating food from under-used and local resources a reality.

ReSolute Project aims to pave the way for the production, at full industrial scale, of novel, non-toxic and high performing solvent from wood biomass. The Chemical sector is today facing a number of challenges driving demand for higher performing and safer chemicals derived from biomass. In the meantime, in the face of declining demand for paper, the pulp and paper industry is actively exploring opportunities to diversify into new areas or business including bio-based chemicals. In response to these needs, Circa has developed, at demonstration scale, a proprietary process to produce a novel bio-paper sector. From LGO ca be derived a wide range of chemicals including solvents, specialty polymers, flavours & fragrances, pharmaceutical and agrochemical actives. Circa’s first commercial product – a novel solvent trademarked as Cyrene – has already been trialled by more than 400 compagnies and researchers across the world and, for a growing number of applications, outperforms traditional dipolar aprotic solvents such as NMP, DMF and DMAc, which are under intense regulatory pressure due to their toxicity. Building on Circa group’s unique experience gained over the last 10 years via its 4 pilots and its operating demonstration plant, one of ReSolute’s key objectives will be to build and successfully operate a first-of-its kind Flagship Cyrene plant. The biorefinery will be built in France on the Carling Saint-Avold platform site owned by Total. The Flagship plant is expected to be mainly fed with saw dust and have a nameplate capacity of 1,000 metric tonnes per year. To reach this ambitious target, ReSolute will bring together 11 key actors along the entire value chain and will look to valorize the main by-product (biochar) in the energy and activated carbon markets.