CIRCular valorization of industrial
ALGAE waste streams into high-value
products to foster future sustainable
blue biorefineries in Europe
This Horizon Europe project CIRCALGAE has a goal to develop sustainable algae-based biorefineries and products supporting the health of aquatic ecosystems for a healthy planet and people.
It aims to valorize the massively produced, but at the same time under-exploited algal biomass into high value-added ingredients for the feed, food and cosmetic applications.
The CIRCALGAE project, funded by Horizon Europe, aims to valorize the algae waste streams from existing algae farms in Europe
Blue biorefinery schemes up-scaled to hundreds of kg will be demonstrated throughout the CIRCALGAE project.
Demonstrator products will be developed by food, feed and cosmetics industry partners validating the great potential of novel algae ingredients in these key sectors.
Bringing together a team of key algae cross-sectoral players, the project will validate all health-promoting effects and claims, regulatory aspects and environmental, economic and social impacts.
CIRCALGAE will engage all relevant stakeholders in the primary sector to re-shape the current industrial network for a future thriving blue bioeconomy. Final products will be qualified for the market including their studies in consumer acceptance assessments.
Why valorize algae waste streams?
Algal biomass is massively produced (over 36Mt/year worldwide) but at the same time underexploited. Vast amounts of waste are generated by the algal industries (up to 95% of the initial biomass in some cases).
Through a cascade biorefinery approach, this waste material can be transformed into high-value products.
Discover the key figures of the CIRCALGAE project
blue biorefineries will be developed
Consumer acceptance surveys
cross-sectional training workshops
demonstrator products will be developed
partners
months
€ million European Commission fundings
About the project
CIRCALGAE is interested in the most relevant macro- and microalgae biomass exploited in a sustainable way (change of cultivation parameters, taking into account seasonality or specificity of the cultivation region in different algae species).
By integrating all relevant players and the stakeholders, the project aims to build a viable economic model and propose new products adapted to the market.
CIRCALGAE uses simple and easily scalable extraction techniques. This choice makes it possible to obtain ingredients at an affordable cost. The extraction of ingredients is based on years of experience in large-scale biomass valorization and collaboration with seaweed producers.
CIRCALGAE valorizes the residual biomass of the most relevant sectors of algae exploitation. Thus, interesting molecules, all of them vegan, nutritive, texturising or bioactive, already identified but not used on the current market, can be exploited.
CIRCALGAE works with industry players and end-users in the food, feed and cosmetics sectors to validate the health benefits and economic viability of finished products.
The technologies and processes developed downstream will be validated at TRL 7-8 to demonstrate the feasibility and sustainability of these technologies for algal by-product biorefineries in the future.
Our latest news
As part of the European CIRCALGAE project, actions to disseminate results and share knowledge about algae are taking place throughout the project. The first CIRCALGAE training sessions took place at CEVA June 11,12 &13. Europe was in attendance, with 18 trainees from England, Ireland, Spain, France and even Iceland. These 3 days were rich in presentations, tasting and exchanges.
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Advances within CIRCALGAE project are also patent in the scientific production. Although more is yet to come in 2024, CSIC already released three scientific articles in 2023 related to the exploitation of alginate within a biorefinery.
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Work Package 1 (WP1) is focused on optimizing the cultivation and harvesting parameters for both microalgae and macroalgae. The project partners—A4F, IGV, Roquette, and CEVA—have evaluated these parameters to achieve high yields of biomass and the desired microalgae ingredients. These ingredients are then recovered at each partner's dedicated biorefinery.
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