The European Union has invested €5.7 million in Alganova, a project developing a biorefinery to produce proteins and functional ingredients from microalgae. The algae will be fed on agro-marine byproducts and industrial biogenic carbon dioxide.
The four-year initiative is funded through the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, a €2 billion partnership between the EU and the Bio-Based Industries Consortium. The project is coordinated by Spain’s Idener Research and Development and brings together 12 institutions, including Fraunhofer IVV, Algemy Ingredients, the Research Institutes of Sweden, and the Nova University of Lisbon.
Animal agriculture accounts for 81 to 86 percent of the EU’s food-related greenhouse gas emissions and uses 71 percent of its farmland, despite providing just 32 percent of calories consumed. Alganova aims to address this by turning waste streams and emissions into feedstocks for microalgae cultivation.
The project will use Chlorella vulgaris and Dunaliella salina, two single-cell protein sources already approved for human consumption in the EU. Researchers will produce protein extracts, fatty acids, and carotenoids through parallel cultivation methods.
Francisco Nascimento, a researcher at ITQB Nova, said the team will study microalgae collected from Portuguese rivers to evaluate their potential for producing biomass and other valuable products. Researchers will also explore alternative growth substrates to boost production and cut costs.
The consortium plans to scale core bioprocesses to a near-commercial technology readiness level. It will validate the safety, nutritional quality, and regulatory compliance of algal ingredients while developing food product prototypes.
Alganova targets a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of protein compared with animal protein systems. It also aims to cut production costs by 30 to 40 percent, reaching €3 to €4 per kilogram.
The project could reduce the EU’s reliance on imported protein ingredients, supporting the bloc’s broader Protein Plan. Each replicated facility is expected to generate up to 40 direct jobs and 120 indirect roles.
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