‘Feed from gas’ project launches pilot
A project aiming to transform food production and supply chains by creating animal feed from carbon dioxide and hydrogen gases has taken another big step forward with the opening of its first pilot facility.
Aerbio – formed from the management buy-out of Nottingham-headquartered Deep Branch – is working with a consortium of partners, including the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), as part of the REACT-FIRST initiative to produce a novel single-cell protein called Proton, which can be used as feed for salmon and chickens. The pilot facility is based in the Netherlands at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus, a hub for circular chemistry and chemical processes.
The opening of Aerbio’s pilot facility will allow larger feed trials to begin, with an initial 200 kg of Proton being produced per month. The pilot facility will, the company said, help to determine how best to integrate itself into the food chain, with the Proton it produces being used in the assessment and development of a number of applications, including in the REACT-FIRST initiative.
Engineering work is also already being conducted on an upcoming ‘Market Launch Facility’, which will have the capacity to produce 250 tonnes of Proton per annum. Subsequent commercial sites are expected to each produce 100,000 tonnes of Proton per year.
Pete Rowe, co-founder and CXO of Aerbio, said: “The opening of our pilot facility is a significant step forward for our technology. It proves its scalability – both in terms of production and the operations of the sites. The support we have received from the consortium has been a crucial part of getting us to this point and we’re looking forward to the next phase.”
The energy transition means that large-scale projects are making both hydrogen and carbon dioxide available at scale. Electrolyser projects see renewable power used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, while carbon capture projects are enabling large volumes of food-grade carbon dioxide to reach the market, at the same specifications found within carbonated beverages and dry ice.
Through the conversion of gases using Aerbio’s fermentation system, the production of Proton requires no arable land and the sites can be deployed wherever industrial processes create food-grade carbon dioxide and hydrogen. This will allow countries that currently have to import protein-rich ingredients to have their own production capabilities.
The carbon footprint associated with Proton is up to 90% lower than either fishmeal or soy, the company said.
Results from initial small-scale trials also suggest that, in principle, it has the same nutritional benefits as conventional feed ingredients from animal or plant origins. Aerbio plans to ship its first products in the next few months, with initial chicken and fish feed trials beginning by the end of the summer and results available for the beginning of 2025.
