Sequestering Carbon Through Algae Production: Our Investment in Brilliant Planet
By Lisa Coca, Partner, Climate Fund
In the race to net zero, it’s critical not only to focus on emission reductions, but also on the implementation and adoption of negative emission technologies. For those newer to climate tech, gigaton-scale removal of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, also known as carbon capture, is a family of technologies and techniques that capture CO₂ which can then be stored or used to prevent its release into the atmosphere. The “capture” can occur at the point of release, and it can also, literally, be pulled out of the air via what is known as Direct Air Capture (DAC).
Negative emissions technologies are a key pillar for the rapid transition to net zero, and while driving down costs for solutions like DAC will take time, there are other incredibly powerful and proven negative emission “technologies” that are “natural” climate solutions that we can avail ourselves of now — which is why I am excited to announce the Toyota Ventures Climate Fund’s investment in Brilliant Planet.
Biological carbon sequestration is a process that has served us well for much of the Earth’s history. Basically, it is the absorption and storage of carbon in grasslands, forests, soil and the ocean. These ecosystems play a critical role in the removal and long-term storage of CO₂, cycling through 100 billion tons of CO₂ every year. Of these ecosystems, oceans are one of the largest natural carbon “sinks,” absorbing approximately 25% of the cumulative excess of anthropogenic CO2 equivalent gases emitted annually that are driving atmospheric and ocean heating. The presence of phytoplankton, vegetation and coral is the main reason the ocean is one of the biggest carbon sinks. Algae, in particular, plays a huge role in the world’s carbon cycle –- absorbing about as much carbon as all the plants and trees on land combined. As a result, it holds amazing promise as a highly-scalable negative emission alternative that circumvents the cost, complexity and land-use issues of other carbon removal solutions — and this is exactly what Brilliant Planet aims to do.
Based in London, UK, Brilliant Planet’s system replicates local environmental and seawater conditions to favor a specific natural algal strain that it actively seeds and grows in land-based ponds. With only seawater, wind, and sunlight as inputs, Brilliant Planet’s system has the potential to sequester ~2B tons of CO₂ per year at scale, or ~5% of annual CO₂ emissions worldwide, at one-tenth the operational and capital expense of direct air capture systems.
Having started as a three-square-meter experiment in 2013, the company has since expanded its operations to a 30,000-square meter production facility located in the coastal desert of Morocco. Co-Founder and chief scientist Dr. Raffael Jovine has brought together an expert team with backgrounds in molecular biophysics, biochemistry, marine biology, algal production, and more. And we look forward to seeing the company’s business scale further with the recent addition of Adam Taylor, a seasoned agribusiness entrepreneur, as CEO.
Another key differentiator that excites us about Brilliant Planet is the fact that the company has developed a method that circumvents the limitations of producing seasonal algae, and is capable of production, consistently, throughout the year. Brilliant Planet works with algae that are local and perfectly adapted and acclimated to their growing environment. The team has isolated an extensive library of algae strains that can be grown throughout the year. The company is also developing an artificial intelligence (AI) system to fine-tune production parameters across thousands of ponds using daily satellite data.
Once the algae is ready for harvest, the company filters the seawater, which has been de-acidified during the production process and will now promote ocean health. The biomass is solar-dried and stored underground in remote desert sites. This buried biomass is very stable due to cross-linking of proteins during the drying process, very high (40%) salt content, dry desert storage conditions, and absence of sunlight. With appropriate site selection, the stored biomass is stable for thousands of years. The company can also produce a range of high-value proteins, oils, and pigments for the food industry using other strains of algae.
By simply leveraging the best that nature has to offer, Brilliant Planet has designed a cost-effective and highly-scalable process that has the potential to significantly offset global emissions and curb climate change. With a vision to unlock the power of nature, we are proud to co-lead Brilliant Planet’s Series A round alongside Union Square Ventures, with participation from AiiM Partners, Future Positive Capital, S2G Ventures, Hatch and Pegasus Tech Ventures.
Visit Brilliant Planet’s website and the Toyota Ventures portfolio page to learn more.
