THE SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH THAT'S NET ZERO BY NATURE.
Our revolutionary carbon recycling technology is a scalable biological solution that tackles CO2 emissions at the source.
Hydrobe® allows high-emitting facilities such as steel mills, methane reformers, cement works, and coal-fired power plants to retrofit a plug-in Hydrobe system to voraciously consume CO2 on site.
Our patented process funnels flue gases through species of microbial algae to ingest CO2 with unprecedented efficiency. The carbon is further processed in separate biological reactors, converting it into high-value saleable by-products such as broadacre fertiliser, bio-oils, and green hydrogen, providing a positive return on investment.
At the heart of our unique process is a previously undiscovered symbiotic relationship within an ecosystem of bacterial species that is triggered by exposure to algae and algal refuse under specific conditions. When brought together, the powerful symbiosis results in profound increases in decarbonisation efficiency.
The Hydrobe® process brings about large-scale extraction of sugars from algae, without heat or pressure, triggering exceptional productivity gains in fermentation. This in turn provides the carbon and energy equation to radically re-design how industrial scale photobioreactors work. Laboratory scale testing confirms that the combination of these discoveries profoundly reduces the capital costs, land, and energy requirements to produce large quantities of algal biomass.
For every 1 tonne of biomass generated, the system generates large quantities of hydrogen and ~490 litres of oil while removing CO2 from the atmosphere
RECYCLING CARBON IS WHAT NATURE DOES. WE JUST FOUND A WAY TO MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT.
DECARBONISE WITHOUT CREATING MORE C02.
The significant difference in the Hydrobe® approach to decarbonisation is that our biological process fixes more carbon dioxide than it generates.
The laws of thermodynamics still apply. We use biological energy as the primary driver of system performance, effectively inverting the carbon equation with energy transfer.
This difference negates the requirement for energy from power stations that generate CO2, or the need for raw materials (such as solar cells or lithium batteries) which also generate CO2 during manufacture.
The Hydrobe® process harnesses nature to extract sugars from carbon-consuming algae for hyper-efficient fermentation into valuable by-products without the need for external heat or pressure. Post fermentation, the residual biomass remains rich in lipids (free fatty acids and triglycerides) and proteins.
Leveraging this capability enabled a profound change in photobioreactor design to resolve land, energy and capital constraints of growing algal biomass at scale. By doing this, Hydrobe® solves the carbon problem.
THE SCIENCE SHOWS A CLEAR WAY FORWARD.
The Hydrobe® process was developed and trialled in collaboration with microbiology specialists in Brazil and then replicated and proven at Curtin University in Western Australia.
We are currently at TRL6 stage of development. The concept engineering study by Helix Engineering and class 5 desktop study conducted by Stantec Engineering identified that viability at scale can be achieved with the productivity levels proven in our lab scale alpha prototypes.
The first 3000 litre demonstration plant is under construction in Melbourne, Australia to verify at scale. We are on track to build the first industrial scale reactor system by the end of 2024.
