SCALE flagship project - Microphyt to build a microalgae biorefinery in France

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Type of post: NEWS.

Microphyt, company focused on the production and marketing of microalgae-based bioactive ingredients, has announced the launch of SCALE, the world’s first fully-integrated microalgae biorefinery. This flagship action has received a grant of 15 M€, the single largest award from the BBI JU for sustainable aquatic production.

Figure 1. The whole consortium met on June 30th, 2021 for the SCALE kick-off meeting in the presence of representatives of the European Commission. This project has received funding from the BBI JU under grant agreement 101023593.

Located in Baillargues (near Montpellier in the South of France) the headquarters of Microphyt will be home to the flagship biorefinery, utilizing the CAMARGUE technology to produce and extract bioactive compounds, based on hydro-biomimetic principles. A CAMARGUE-based demo facility is already in operation at Microphyt premises.

Over the course of the 4-year program, the production capacity will increase five-fold, allowing for the development and production of more than 15 new ingredients derived from microalgae for the fields of nutrition and cosmetics. The annual capacity of SCALE will be more than 100 tons of high-value ingredients. The first facility will create approximately one hundred jobs by 2025.

The 4-year SCALE project brings together 11 international partners along the entire value chain. Each partner is an industry expert and plays a complementary role in the program.
- Evolys (Norway)
- Lallemand (France)
- Microphyt (France)
- Plameca (Spain)
- PNO Consultants (France) 
- Sunti (France)

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