Startup ingredient processor NovoNutrients is pioneering the upcycling of CO2 into a high-grade protein for human and animal consumption, a satisfying solution that many will be dying to sink their teeth into.
Instead of treating CO2 as a waste gas to be disposed of, the gas will be used in a process which includes hydrogen and naturally occurring microbes to ferment the CO2 into alternative protein products.
David Tze, the CEO of NovoNutrients, began in aquaculture, where fish feed generated by fermentation processes is cutting-edge technology. When he first encountered NovoNutrients at an aquaculture trade show, he immediately recognised the immense potential the technology offered.
“I selected NovoNutrients as my choice for entrepreneurship,” Tze explained. “The founder, Brian Sefton, agreed and I became full-time in late summer of that year.”
Tze added that the many of the processes involved in CO2-to-protein fermentation were first developed by pioneers in the field of biofuels. However, the use of a waste gas like CO2 adds an entirely unique dimension to the process.
“We believe we have found the path to high-value products and affordable industrial scale by using greenhouse gases instead of corn,” Tze said. “Our patent application names a few dozen species that are bacteria, yeast, other fungi and microalgae. However, bacteria are always at the heart of what we do.”
A major advantage of the NovoNutrients solution is that the process can use mixed or untreated emissions gas. “We don’t need laboratory grade CO2 or H2,” Tze said, “So that eliminates a huge upstream processing cost. It allows us to use abundant and low-cost forms of carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen. We recirculate both the gases and the liquids so wastewater is minimised, and we applied for a patent to use the spent media as a growth medium for other fermentations.”
NovoNutrients’ unique value proposition means that it is able to court partners from both sides of the value chain—emitters and gas producers on one side. and nutrition companies on the other.
“We recently found that our digestibility adjusted amino acid score (1.13) for ages 3 and up is better than all plant-based sources,” Tze added, “and better than all