Could we turn emissions into alt proteins?

Microbes convert carbon dioxide into nutritious and high-protein products

Spotted: Climate change, resource scarcity, and food security are three of the largest global challenges facing us today. NovoNutrients has taken on all three challenges at once with its sustainable alternative protein Novotein – a complete premium protein that’s created by feeding naturally occurring microbes clean hydrogen and carbon dioxide. 

The startup has developed proprietary looping gas bioreactors designed to handle impure gas mixtures while increasing microbial productivity and improving energy efficiency. The ability to handle a range of impure gas mixtures is unique when compared to conventional reactors, and gives the system flexibility to use CO2 captured from gasification products or direct air capture, as well as industrial processes.

The Novotein product itself boasts a high Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) of 1.06, meaning that it is nutritionally superior to pork, chicken, and ground beef. It is 100 per cent digestible and uses less than one per cent of the water and land needed for soy protein production.  

To put the size of Novotein’s impact into perspective, CEO David Tze told Springwise that “our protein ingredients and additives address a total addressable market (TAM) of $534 billion in 2024, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1 per cent.” This covers NovoNutrients three target markets of pet food, aquaculture feed, and alternative proteins for human consumption, but what sets NovoNutrients apart is its economical, scalable approach to tackle both sustainability and nutrition needs. As David went on to share, “long-term, our vision is to capture a gigaton of carbon and transform it into high-value protein to feed the world.”

NovoNutrients has recently completed a $18 million series A funding round led by Woodside Energy and CM Venture Capital and aims to secure a further $5 million in additional closings. The startup will use this to carry out pilot testing and accelerate commercialisation alongside Technology Development Agreements already secured in the energy and nutrition sectors, with market entry on the horizon.

Written By: Oscar Williams