Innovative fermentation technology unit transforms CO2 into biodegradable plastics

The start-up CO2BioClean has commissioned a pilot plant at Industriepark Höchst in Frankfurt together with State Minister of Economic Affairs, Energy, Transportation, Housing and Rural Areas of the Government of Hessen, Mr Kaweh Mansoori. CO2BioClean has developed a disruptive technology that enables CO₂ to be converted into bioplastics: a fermentation process which transforms CO₂ into PHA, which is then used in various applications, for example cosmetics, packaging, agriculture and others.

Mr Mansoori emphasised: “CO2BioClean impressively demonstrates how technological innovation combines the reduction of CO2 with the production of a material that can be used in many areas of life. This pilot plant is not only a milestone for the company, but also a really great example of how the various instruments and programmes offered by Hessian economic development work together. The pilot plant could also be realised thanks to the support and advice of the Enterprise Europe Network at Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH and the investment of Beteiligungs-Managementgesellschaft Hessen. I am very pleased that CO2BioClean has settled in Eschborn and found the best conditions for the pilot plant here at Industriepark Höchst.”

The new pilot plant will test the industrial feasibility of the CO2BioClean technology under real-life conditions. The idea: CO2 is captured at source from industrial plants and converted into biodegradable bioplastics through fermentation. The biotechnological production of polymers is nothing new. What is new, however, is that the process utilises an organism that can use CO2 and that the resulting polymers are compostable.

If the process stands the tests, it can reduce industrial CO2 emissions, reduce the amount of non-degradable plastics entering the environment and oceans and offer industrial companies the opportunity to generate additional revenue from their CO2 emissions. With this patented technology, around a quarter of the world's CO2 emissions could mathematically cover the global demand for plastics.

The company is currently working with various partners on specific applications. Together with Biovox, which is also based in Hessen, the companies work on sustainable medical and laboratory materials. Together with one Italian company CO2BioClean produce protective tree covers to prevent wild animals from nibbling on the bark, which are currently being tested. The use of the material for coating seeds is also being tested with another company. The seeds are given a thin bioplastic coating to protect them during sowing.

Dr Fantinel, founder of the company, added: “We are very pleased to have found the ideal conditions here in Frankfurt to build the world's first plant of this kind.”

CO2BioClean was founded by Dr Fabiana Fantinel and Dr Alessandro Carfagnini and settled in Eschborn because it found the best conditions for business development in Hessen. Since then, it has been supported, advised and guided through the various steps by Hessen Trade and Invest GmbH. Among others, the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) helped CO2BioClean to apply to the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator at an early stage. The EIC Accelerator is aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups that develop disruptive, high-risk innovations with great market potential and plan to scale internationally. The company received a grant of EUR 2.26 million and an investment commitment of EUR 1.8 million from the EIC for the realisation and operation of the pilot plant that has now opened. Last year, BMH Beteiligungs-Managementgesellschaft Hessen mbH (BMH) and Ghazan Commodities GmbH decided to invest in CO2BioClean. As a medium-sized investment and venture capital company, BMH bundles public investment interests and financing instruments for early-stage, growth and medium-sized companies in Hessen.

Representatives of the sponsors and investors were present at the inauguration of the pilot plant and inspected the facility, which was built in the northern part of Industriepark Höchst, for the first time. The 4.6 square kilometre site is one of the largest research and production locations for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry in Europe, with more than 90 companies and around 20,000 employees. In addition to internationally active companies, various innovative start-ups are also based at Industriepark Höchst, as they find the ideal conditions here to develop future technologies.

CO2BioClean is also a winner of the Hessian Founder Award 2023 in the ‘Innovative Business Idea’ category and won the Science4Life Energy Cup in 2020.

Source: Hessain Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy, Transportation and Housing and Rural Areas