In France, TotalEnergies and Veolia have joined forces to accelerate the development of microalgae cultivation using CO2. The two partners will pool their know-how to develop a four-year research project at the La Mède biorefinery, operated by TotalEnergies, with the long-term goal of producing biofuel.
Through photosynthesis, microalgae use sunlight and CO2 from the atmosphere or from industrial processes to grow. When mature, they can be transformed into next-generation biofuels with low carbon intensity.
As part of the project, a test platform will be set up to compare different innovative systems for growing microalgae and identify the most efficient ones.
Veolia will therefore bring its expertise in:
- • the water sector to optimize management of the microalgae’s aquatic environment,
- • the development of algal biomass as an effective solution for CO2 capture.
TotalEnergies, in synergy with the business lines at the La Mède site, will bring its expertise in:
- • the cultivation and refining of biomass to produce advanced biofuels,
- • CO2 capture and utilization technologies.
