ALLIANCE · EUROPEAN MICROALGAE ALLIANCE (ALLIANCE): INNOVATIVE, SAFE, AND SUSTAINABLE MULTIPRODUCT BIOREFINERIES FOR A BLUE BIOBASED ECONOMY

ALLIANCE aims to broaden the uptake of microalgae-based products in the EU market, improving the cost-effectiveness, circularity, and overall sustainability of production, processing and product development steps. Our ambition is to demonstrate the effective establishment of algae-based mid-value ingredients using multi-product biorefineries for food, cellular agriculture, aquafeed, and agriculture sectors. Previous sustainability and cost analyses clearly pointed at our R&I targets: recirculating nutrients and water, ALLIANCE aims to expand access to microalgae-based products in the EU market, making it cheaper and more sustainable. Our ambition is to demonstrate multiproduct biorefineries for food, aquafeed, and agriculture ingredients. Our previous sustainability and cost analyses clearly pointed at our R&I targets: recirculating nutrients and water, efficient and automated control of production, reducing nutrient consumption, prioritizing renewable energy and off-the-grid operation, and solvent-free biorefinery processes. We will focus on vertical integration of upstream and downstream processes, developing and demonstrating technological solutions on the targets above for four different existing algae pipelines, which will expand from 4 into 15 lines of fractions/products (and near-zero waste). ALLIANCE will use solvent-free extraction and purification technologies that are scalable and cost-competitive, as well as wet-biomass, bypassing the dewatering process. The ingredients will feed an integrated exploitation strategic plan to identify different business cases and their timelines and markets. We will work in a multidisciplinary and multi-actor approach, with a broad group of stakeholders joining us in reaching European consumers and supporting the penetration and acceptance of microalgal biobased products. Finally, we will collaborate with policy-making communities to propose concrete solutions for addressing gaps in legislation and regulatory frameworks.