Fight against climate change: Fermentalg and SUEZ create a joint venture to accelerate the industrialization and commercialization of solutions for capturing and valorizing CO₂ in bioproducts

Strengthened by their feedback following a five-year partnership, and to address the growing climate emergency, SUEZ and FERMENTALG, a key French player and expert in the research and bio industrial exploitation of micro-algae, have signed a memorandum of understanding for the creation in the first half of 2021 of a joint venture, equally owned, which will develop algae photobioreactors capable of capturing CO₂ by biomimicry. In addition, this major innovation will enable the development of circular loops, notably by producing products that can be used in the fields of biocontrol, nutrition and animal health.

Initiated in 2015 as part of the Paris Agreement, the partnership between FERMENTALG and SUEZ has allowed for the development of unique and promising solutions in response to the environmental challenges of the 21st century:

• Carbon sink, to capture and process CO₂ emissions in an industrial environment using a new generation algae photobioreactor;
• The Combin’Air air purifier, including innovative solutions such as an algae photobioreactor designed to reduce fine particles (PM10, PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO_x) to combat the toxic impacts of atmospheric pollution on public health.

The new algal photobioreactor developed by the joint venture will build on these first technological advances deployed in both industrial and urban environments over the past five years. The solutions improve the selection of microalgae strains, new lighting technologies and the identification of high value-added bioproducts validating the environmental and economic benefits of the model. According to the applications, these bioproducts will contribute to the preservation of soils and biodiversity as well as to human and animal health.

Philippe Lavielle, FERMENTALG CEO, commented: “By creating this new growth division with SUEZ Group, FERMENTALG today reaffirms its environmental and societal commitment. By leveraging our unique global expertise in technology to serve sustainable development, our joint venture will now be positioned as one of the leading players in air quality and the fight against climate change. In the first year, we plan to open up our capital to other financial partners to accelerate the global rollout of our solutions.”

Diane Galbe, Senior Executive Vice President Group in charge of the global Business Unit, Smart & Environmental Solutions and Head of Strategy, added: “This joint venture with Fermentalg is fully in line with our Group’s strategy by providing solutions for the capture and recovery of CO₂ in bioproducts. This new nature-based solutions will have a positive impact on climate, health and biodiversity while fully meeting the challenges of the circular economy. Five years after the Paris agreement aimed at containing global warming to 1.5° by the end of the century, SUEZ is once again translating its reinforced commitments to preserve our planet into concrete solutions to build a sustainable world, starting now.”

Source: SUEZ, press release, 2021-01-05.