CarbonWorks’ ambition: develop the microalgae sector through Precision Photosynthesis and high scale
The vast majority of microalgae have evolved to grow using light as an energy source, and their metabolisms revolve around the benefits and dangers of its use.
They are genuine micro‑factories, drawing on a billion years of evolution on Earth to optimize the conversion of CO₂ into complex molecules such as proteins, lipids, pigments, toxins, and more. Algae are capable of very high areal productivities, far above those of terrestrial plants (up to 80–100 tonnes of biomass per hectare per year* under controlled conditions), which makes them attractive as a production system.
By choosing the right algal strain, and triggering the metabolism in the correct fashion, we can use these marvelous cells to naturally produce molecules that have uses in multiple domains of activity.
But, if we are going to exploit these industrially, microalgal production systems need to be better. CarbonWorks brings a breakthrough solution for microalgae production via photosynthesis, with a photobioreactor capable of delivering volumes at industrial scale.
Traditional production systems compromise between high volume, low cost but low control in raceways and low volume, high cost, high control in photobioreactors. Through rethinking the way that algae are grown, CarbonWorks’ photobioreactor allows scalable yet controlled production in small amounts of space at significantly lower cost than traditional photobioreactor solutions.
To arrive at this point, CarbonWorks has built strong relationships and partnerships with leading academic institutions such as CEA, CNRS and several technology centres, and has also developed an ecosystem of private partners, each contributing expertise in its own field. The R&D carried out by CarbonWorks has been recognized as Deeptech by BPifrance.
*: Rodolfi et al. Microalgae for oil: strain selection, induction of lipid synthesis and outdoor mass cultivation in a low‑cost photobioreactor. Biotechnol Bioeng. 2009 Jan 1;102(1):100–12.
Efficiency
Use of internal lighting has an additional advantage — all the light remains in the interior of the photobioreactor and is captured by the microalgae. Combined with CarbonWorks’ expertise in matching light intensities and wavelengths to the needs of the microalgae being grown means that the energy inputs to the production system are around half that of other photobioreactor types using artificial light. This results in significant savings for the producer.
Containment and Control
The key to a consistent production of biomass is growing this in a contained and controlled environment. Traditional photobioreactors achieve this by growing the microalgae in glass tubes or bags, minimizing the distance from external light to the algae at the interior, bringing the algae to the light. CarbonWorks’ photobioreactor turns this on its head and brings light to the algae with internal lighting and an innovative mixing system. This offers multiple advantages in terms of efficiency, scalability and cost as well as the ability to operate in clean-mode for particularly sensitive processes. This clean-mode can also be used to run mixotrophic processes for increased productivity where the strain allows.
Cost
As well as the cost savings in operation, CarbonWorks’ expertise in design and manufacturing, including the tailored lighting modules result in the required capital expenditure per operational volume of photobioreactor being as little as half that of traditional tubular systems.
Volume
The only existing microalgal production systems capable of very high volume production are raceway ponds, usually located in areas of high solar radiation which tend also to be water-poor. These open systems have a large footprint and fail in both containment and control. In addition open ponds have limited productivity and high product variability due to seasonal changes in growth conditions and are limited in suitability to only a few species. CarbonWorks’ photobioreactors, due to their innovative design are capable of being scaled up to higher volumes rather than simply scaling out like other photobioreactor systems.
Space
CarbonWorks’ goal is to deliver the light required for photosynthesis directly at the core of the reactor, which is designed with a compact footprint and can be easily manufactured at scale. In this spirit, CarbonWorks has developed a cylindrical photobioreactor with integrated, submerged lighting that has a far smaller footprint than either raceway or tubular photobioreactor systems. This allows installation of meaningful volumes on existing sites, especially those which may have CO₂ streams that can be captured and utilized in the biomass produced (CCU).
