Feed from gas project takes big step forward with pilot facility launch

August 27, 2024 - 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.

Rob Mansfield (CTO) and Peter Rowe (CXO) of Aerbio.

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 200kg of Protein being produced per month. The pilot facility will help the company 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 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 percent lower than either fishmeal or soy. Results from initial small-scale trials also suggested 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 were available for the beginning of 2025.

React-First was funded through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Transforming Food Production Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). It brings together 10 consortium partners from industry and academia with a shared commitment to tackling the climate crisis and achieving net-zero carbon emissions in food production.

Pete Rowe added: "Our small-scale trials have proven the fundamentals of Proton - it has a strong nutritional profile and is just as good, if not better, than conventional ingredients. Our main input requirements are simply carbon dioxide, water and power, all of which can be sustainably produced and are readily available. Once we are in the position to fully roll out the technology, we hope to enable better food security for protein, something high on the list of almost every country."

Heather Jones, CEO of SAIC, said: "At the North Atlantic Seafood Forum earlier this year, major salmon farmers and the world's largest fish feed producers all recognised the vital importance of developing novel feed ingredients to replace marine and land-based ingredients that are finite in supply. The innovation of React First could ultimately help the global fish farming sector to grow sustainably. All the projects we support aim to enhance the sustainability of aquaculture, while maximising its economic impact - this project is a great example of how you can do both, creating a more resilient food system in the process."

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