High-throughput optimisation of carbon mineralization by engineered cyanobacteria: Towards carbon negative mineral materials

Project partners: University of Oxford & CyanoCapture

Project focus area: Materials and chemicals 

There is a critical need to develop effective strategies for Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) to meet net-zero targets. A promising pathway is carbon mineralisation, which turns CO2 into stable carbonate minerals, acting as a long-term carbon store. This process can be coupled with the manufacturing of valuable carbonate mineral particles for various industries in applications such as construction (cements), paints, coatings, plastics and cosmetics, enhancing the economic profitability of CCUS.

This project establishes a collaboration between the University of Oxford and CyanoCapture, a fast-growing startup implementing engineering biology for carbon-negative/neutral biomanufacturing of recombinant proteins and biomolecules. CyanoCapture has developed proprietary strains of fast-growing cyanobacteria, engineered for enhanced CO2 uptake. The project’s primary goal will be to assess the potential of these unique strains to bioprecipitate calcium carbonates for sustainable mineral manufacturing, a potential new commercial avenue for the company. Researchers at the University of Oxford will employ a newly designed high-throughput analytical platform to rapidly screen different cyanobacterial strains under a wide range of culture conditions, quantifying carbon mineralisation efficiency and carbonate particle properties.

The outcomes will provide a critical feasibility assessment for CyanoCapture, determining if and under which conditions their engineered cyanobacteria can be used to develop new mineral products such as carbon-negative fillers for construction and other industries. Through its “living factory” approach for carbon capture and biomanufacturing, this partnership pioneers the development of Engineering Biology strategies for sustainable mineral manufacturing, an area where the full potential of biotechnology has yet to be adopted.

For more information

For more information on this project, contact us, or view all Engineering Biology SPARK Award winners.

This project funding is part of the Engineering Biology Innovation Network, led by Innovate UK Business Connect in collaboration with Innovate UK and UKRI’s Technology Mission Fund. The network’s goal is to progress innovations, create a commercially focused community and foster new consortia to advance innovations towards commercial applications.