By Anders Lorenzen

Deep Branch, a UK company which is pioneering a promising UK carbon capture project has received significant UK government funding.

The company is a creator of sustainable and high-value food and feed ingredients. 

Deep Branch is to use the £4.8 million funding to finance the Deep Blue C project that will integrate carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen ecosystems. The project has come about due to the acceleration of the growth of the company as it commercialises its CO2-to-protein technology platform. The company says that this will enable the company to reduce the cost of design optimisations, lower capital expenditure and the cost of goods sold for its core fermentation process, and improve downstream processing.

Deep Branch partnered with CPI in order to secure the funding. CPI is a leading independent deep-tech innovation organisation that collaborates with partners in industry, academia, government and the investment community to accelerate the development and commercialisation of innovative products. 

Carbon savings

When the Deep Blue C has been completed, Deep Branch will produce a feasibility study for their first commercial production unit for its single-cell protein Proton™ which is planned to go live in 2027. The company is planning multiple additional Proton™ production facilities, with an anticipated 600,000 tonnes per annum global capacity by 2030, utilising over one million tonnes of CO2 annually.

The CEO of Deep Branch, Pete Rowe said: “ Deep Blue C will result in a significant increase in the production efficiencies of Proton™. By reducing production costs as we scale, Proton™ will ensure a highly significant saving in carbon footprint for feed producers that switch from concentrated soybean meal or fishmeal, without an unjustifiable price premium.”

The UK government’s Energy and Climate Change Minister, Greg Hands, added: “As we accelerate the UK’s energy independence by boosting clean, home-grown, affordable energy, it’s crucial that our industries reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. This investment will help them to not only cut emissions but also save money on energy bills, on top of supporting jobs by encouraging green innovation across the UK.”

The funding handed out by the UK government is part of the £20 million Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Innovation 2.0 programme aimed at accelerating the deployment of next-generation CCUS technology in the UK.