Novonesis and DTU’s BRIGHT join forces to turn captured CO₂ into sustainable protein

BRIGHT at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has entered a new collaboration with Novonesis aimed at transforming captured carbon dioxide into a viable, nutritious protein source, marking a significant step in efforts to decarbonize food production.

• BRIGHT at DTU partnered with Novonesis under The Acetate Consortium to develop microbial processes that convert captured CO₂ into protein using acetate as a key intermediate.

• Researchers have applied evolutionary engineering to optimize yeast strains for acetate-based fermentation, improving tolerance, consumption rates, protein yields, and overall process efficiency.

• The collaboration has combined BRIGHT’s high-throughput biofoundry capabilities with Novonesis’ strain development expertise to advance scalable, low-carbon protein production systems.

The partnership brings together academic and industrial expertise to tackle a central challenge in climate innovation: how to convert waste CO₂ into food ingredients at scale while reducing reliance on traditional agriculture. The initiative forms part of The Acetate Consortium, launched in 2023 with backing from the Gates Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, which also includes companies such as Topsoe.

At the heart of the collaboration is a technical bottleneck that has long limited progress in this field. While many microbes readily grow on glucose derived from crops, far fewer can efficiently metabolize acetate, a compound produced from captured carbon. Overcoming this constraint is critical to making CO₂-based protein production commercially viable.

Researchers at BRIGHT will work with Novonesis to improve how microorganisms process acetate, using advanced techniques in evolutionary engineering. The goal is to develop yeast and fungal strains capable of thriving on this alternative carbon source while maintaining high productivity.

"This is where evolution becomes a design tool," explains Professor Adam Feist, who is leading the collaboration from BRIGHT.

"We are not just asking whether microbes can grow on low-carbon inputs. We are evolving them to do it faster, more efficiently, and in ways that actually make industrial sense."

The work will be carried out at the BRIGHT Biofoundry, a facility designed for high-throughput experimentation. Using automated systems, researchers can rapidly test and refine microbial strains, accelerating a process that would traditionally take years. By applying selective pressure over successive generations, the team aims to improve traits such as tolerance to acetate, speed of consumption, protein yield, and overall fermentation efficiency.

For Novonesis, which has decades of experience in microbial strain development and industrial biotechnology, the collaboration offers an opportunity to extend its capabilities into emerging low-carbon food systems.

"We're very excited that BRIGHT will now join forces with us to help turn captured CO₂ into a nutritious protein source," says Claus Crone Fuglsang, Chief Scientific Officer at Novonesis.

"Together, we aim to develop yeasts and fungi that grow faster, tolerate acetate more effectively, and deliver higher protein yields. This partnership moves us closer to a future where CO₂-based proteins play a role in more sustainable food production."

The broader ambition of the Acetate Consortium is to establish a scalable model for producing food ingredients from carbon emissions, reducing pressure on land use and resource-intensive farming. By decoupling protein production from traditional agricultural inputs, the approach could contribute to a more circular bioeconomy, where waste streams are repurposed into valuable outputs.

Professor Jochen Förster, Director of the BRIGHT Biofoundry, emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing such complex challenges.

"This collaboration shows what it takes to make impact," he says. "Aligned partners, complementary expertise, and the courage to work through complexity together. We look forward to continuing the work and strengthening the collaboration in the years ahead."

BRIGHT, formally known as the Novo Nordisk Foundation Biotechnology Research Institute for the Green Transition, is based at DTU and focuses on accelerating the development of sustainable biotechnologies. Its research spans areas such as microbial food production, sustainable materials, and agricultural solutions aimed at achieving net-zero emissions.

The institute operates at the intersection of academia and industry, working with partners across the value chain to bring laboratory innovations closer to commercial application. Its biofoundry model is designed to shorten development timelines and enable rapid iteration, which is particularly important in fields where biological systems must be finely tuned for industrial use.

Novonesis, meanwhile, describes itself as a leader in biosolutions, applying microbiology to industries ranging from food and agriculture to energy and materials. With a global workforce of around 10,000 people, the company focuses on leveraging biological processes to create more sustainable production methods.

The collaboration with BRIGHT reflects growing interest among both public and private sector organizations in using biotechnology to address climate and food security challenges. While still in development, CO₂-based protein production is increasingly seen as a potential pathway to reduce emissions associated with conventional agriculture.

By focusing on improving microbial performance on acetate, the partners aim to unlock a key step in that process, bringing the concept closer to industrial reality.

(Main photo courtesy of Daniel Rasmussen)