Novonesis partners with the Technical University of Denmark to scale CO2 protein innovation
A new collaboration between Novonesis and DTU explores how captured CO2 can be transformed into protein ingredients, highlighting the role of cross-sector partnerships in developing sustainable food solutions.
Novonesis is working with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU)’s the BRIGHT Bifoudry to accelerate the development of sustainable protein by converting waste carbon dioxide into nutritious food ingredients at an industrial scale.
The partnership operates under the umbrella of the Acetate Consortium, a multistakeholder initiative launched in 2023 with backing from Gates Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The consortium brings together industry and academic players including energy technology company Topsoe, to address one of the Food sector’s key sustainability challenges: reducing reliance on land- and resource-intensive agriculture by transforming captured CO2 into viable protein sources.
Turing CO2 into a viable feedstock
At the core of the collaboration is the challenge of enabling microorganism to efficiently consume acetate derived from captured CO2.
Conventional fermentation processes rely on glucose from agricultural crops, while most microorganisms struggle to metabolise acetic acid effectively. Researchers at DTU will work alongside Novonesis to address this limitation by developing yeast strains capable of growing on acetate.
Using advanced evolutionary engineering techniques, the team will focus on improving microbial tolerance to acetate, increasing consumption rates, enhancing protein yields and reducing fermentation time and cost – key factors for commercial viability.
The work will be conducted through BRIGHT’s automated, high capacity biofoundry platform, enabling rapid strains optimisation at a scale significantly faster than traditional laboratory methods.
Collaboration as a driver of innovation
The project reflects Denmark’s strong tradition of collaboration, where businesses, authorities, academia and research institutes work together to develop and scale solutions for resource-efficient and low-carbon food production.
CO₂-derived ingredients represent a potential pathway to decouple protein production from agricultural land use. Converting captured carbon into food ingredients, technologies such as acetate-based fermentation can contribute to more stable supply chains, reduced environmental impact and improved resource efficiency.
By combining Novonesis’ expertise in microbial strain development with DTU’s capabilities in systems biology and microbial evolution, the project brings together complementary competences to strengthen technological progress and support the translation of research into practical applications across the food sector. As the food sector works to reduce its climate footprint and meet growing global demand, these approaches point to new ways of producing protein within more sustainable systems.
Source: Novenesis