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
The 5th General Assembly of the CIRCALGAE project took place on 21st and 22nd October 2024 at Lisbon (Portugal)! This was time to take stock of the project's progress with the presentation of all the results. Once all the algae co-product samples have been analysed, development of the final product prototypes will begin, thanks to the end-user partners in food, feed and cosmetic sectors.
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In this report, CEAMSA and Salata, as partners in charge of the validation of ingredients in food applications, in collaboration with cosmetic validators, RNB, Saponia and Zeto; and Nutrition Science, responsible for feed applications, worked together on the definition of functional and safety requirements of ingredients developed in the project frame. Apart from mentioned partners, CSIC and SAFE played an important role on the revision of the different amendments with a global perspective of the project needs.
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At the end of the first year of the CIRCALGAE project, CIVITTA produced a deliverable regarding algae-derived product market in Europe.
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