Inspiring CO2 circularity by introducing carbon transformation to our plates

Project Information

C - 2C - Protein

Grant agreement ID: 101188544

DOI

10.3030/101188544

EC signature date 13 December 2024

Start date 1 September 2024

End date 31 August 2026

Funded under

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 2 442 727,56

Coordinated by

SOLMEGIA MONOPROSOPI I.K.E.
Greece

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - C - 2C - Protein (Inspiring CO2 circularity by introducing carbon transformation to our plates)

Reporting period: 2024-09-01 to 2025-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The C-2C-PROTEIN project tackles two global challenges: climate change and food scarcity. By 2050, population growth will raise protein demand by >70%. Current protein sources face limits:
Animal proteins: resource-intensive, high emissions
Plant proteins: land/water heavy, volatile supply chains, allergen risks
Microbial/algal proteins: often poor taste/colour/acceptance
The EU prioritises sustainable food systems. Solmeyea’s HVF technology converts industrial CO2 into MEY™ protein—a non-GMO, safe, carbon-negative, tasteless and colourless ingredient. It integrates seamlessly into foods and offers versatile functionality (binder, stabiliser, egg replacer).

Objectives
a.Project Management – smooth execution, QA, risk and financial control, FOAK flagship planning.
b.Market Preparation – B2B outreach, application co-development with FMCGs, FSSC 22000 certification, IP growth, targeted communication, consumer awareness.
c.CO2 Utilisation – scale demo fermentor to TRL 8, validate downstream processing, assess techno-economics.
d.Protein Production – demo-scale fermentation + downstream, 22 t/year output, with packaging, QC, functionality testing.
e.Strategic Positioning – regulatory readiness, industry partnerships, reinforce Europe’s sustainable protein independence and climate goals.

Pathway to Impact
a.Environmental: 1 kg MEY™ protein absorbs ~2.4 kg CO2, ~30× more efficient than forests; uses 99% less land & 98% less water vs. soy. In contrast:
a1.Imported soy: +4.5 kg CO2eq/kg
a2.EU soy: +2.0 kg CO2eq/kg
b.Precision fermentation: +5.0 kg CO2eq/kg
c.Food system: allergen-free, no sensory compromises, supports sustainable diets.
d.Economic: ~€190M revenue & 170 jobs by 2029; attract top-tier EU scientists back from the US, boosting competitiveness.
e.Policy: Direct support to Green Deal, Farm to Fork, Fit-for-55, UN SDGs.

SSH Integration
a.Consumer studies & communication to secure trust.
b.Stakeholder engagement (events, social, web) for awareness.
c.Regulatory and business alignment with EU policies.
Just Transition: EU lost ~80,000 auto jobs in 2024; CCU-protein plants sustain hundreds of jobs per site, thousands indirectly. EU rollout (2030–40) could create tens of thousands of direct and hundreds of thousands of total jobs, reinforcing cohesion and bioeconomy goals.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Scale-Up & R&D Progress
Pilot scale: TRL 8 fermentation, 10 clean 50 g/L runs in 4 days; ~50 kg/week food-grade protein; CO2 unit ready for dry-runs.
Fermentation R&D: 43% protein content; semi-continuous process for higher productivity; continuous fermentation targeting 3× output.
DSP R&D: proprietary extraction yields clean protein & lipid fractions; solvent-free, food-grade quality.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Solmeyea has achieved a first time ever integration of CO2-based glucose-substitute bioconversion with its own proprietary white microalgae fermentation to produce food-grade proteins at industrially relevant yields and timelines. This approach delivers:
a.High productivity at industrial scale: 1,200 L contamination-free fermentations at 50 g/L in 4 days, enabling 10× faster growth rates than best performing autotrophic microalgae cultivation systems.
b.Nutritional breakthrough: biomass protein content increased to 43% through proprietary fermentation optimisation, surpassing typical microalgae protein levels (30–35 %).
c.Process intensification: semi-continuous and continuous fermentation under development, targeting 3× productivity increase (50 g/L/day), exceeding current state-of-the-art for microalgae cultivation.
d.Proprietary DSP innovation: trade-secret extraction method enabling clean separation of protein and lipid fractions without organic solvent residues, ensuring food-grade quality.

Potential Impact
1.Industrial scale: one facility converts 500,000 t CO2/year → 165,000 t protein/year.
2.Land & water-light, climate-resilient protein for food chains.
3.Pilot already producing 50 kg/week, scaling to 200–400 kg/week.

Key Needs
1.Commercial demo in 2026 (CO2 + fermentation integration).
2.Regulatory compliance: EFSA Novel Food, GRAS in US.
3.Partnerships with FMCGs (Danone, Zott, Nestlé, Mondelez).
4.CAPEX for first >1,000 t/year facility.
5.Ongoing IPR (patents + trade secrets).

Bioreactor

MEY Protein powder

Off-gas fermentor