[{"command":"settings","settings":{"ajaxPageState":{"theme":"hm_theme","theme_token":"6pavouFAejsYrMG1glu-h9xQQeIShiCYUlEBjUo7vg0","libraries":"eJwDAAAAAAE"},"ajaxTrustedUrl":{"form_action_p_pvdeGsVG5zNF_XLGPTvYSKCf43t8qZYSwcfZl2uzM":true},"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"2af85631393b514cbde3779a1f71d92618d53b94b54ea1960d28b2e2d121ff12"}},"merge":true},{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9593\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EMaking carbon dioxide into protein for innovative animal feed \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s common knowledge that proteins, a key component of human nutrition, are also essential for making animal feeds. Less well known is the uncomfortable fact that much of the protein we feed animals in Europe leads to deforestation and overfishing worldwide.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBiotechnology start-up Deep Branch have designed a biochemical transformation process that turns carbon dioxide (CO2) into a protein-rich powder for animals to eat.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Deep Branch process converts carbon dioxide into a powder, called Proton, which has around 70% protein content. This is much higher than natural soy, which has around 40%.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBritish-Dutch company Deep Branch is the brainchild of Peter Rowe, a PhD graduate in molecular biology of Nottingham University in the UK. For him, the idea to convert CO2 into protein just kept popping up. \u0027We looked at the field and wondered \u201cWhy the hell isn\u0027t anyone doing this?\u0027\u0027\u2019 said Rowe.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFish meals\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ERaising livestock and fish farming requires foods with high protein densities. Around 80% of the world\u2019s soy crop is used to raise beef and dairy, with demand for these products increasing with the growing population.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAquaculture depends on fishmeal production, which is partly reliant on harvesting fish from the wild.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESoy agriculture drives deforestation, global warming and habitat loss while overfishing endangers\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.conserve-energy-future.com\/what-is-an-ecosystem.php\u0022 target=\u0022_self\u0022\u003Eecosystems\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and affects the balance of life in the oceans. Overall, food production has a huge role to play in the climate and biodiversity crises.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe looked at the field, and wondered, \u0026#039;Why the hell isn\u0026#039;t anyone doing this?\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EPeter Rowe\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThere\u0027s also the issue of food security. \u0027Europe is almost completely reliant on South America for the protein we use to feed our animals,\u0027 said Rowe. \u0027There\u0027s a high risk of extreme events, geopolitics or even weather, disrupting that.\u0027\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProton powder\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe carbon dioxide can come from many sources. In the pilot, Deep Branch used gas coming from a bioenergy plant that burns waste wood. \u0027We culture these microbes in a bioreactor,\u0027 said Rowe. \u0027This is the same technology used to make enzymes in biotechnology, or even brew beer.\u0027\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe carbon dioxide is put into a fermentation tank as a gas, with hydrogen added to serve as an energy source. After the cellular process is complete, the protein is then dried into a powder to be used as an ingredient in a sustainable animal feed.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EReal impact\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s the type of idea that could make a circular, sustainable economy grow. Deep Branch emerged with Rowe\u0027s biotech qualification. However, he wasn\u0027t necessarily interested in a career in academics.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0027I never saw myself as a career academic, but a PhD is a good choice for a career in biotechnology,\u0027 he said. On the other hand, \u0027I like the idea that my research has real, short-term impacts in the world,\u0027 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Rowe, speculative research is always necessary, and universities are ideal places to pursue that. But bridging the gap from academia to the private sector presents its own challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EI like the idea that my research has real, short-term impacts in the world.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EPeter Rowe\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0027Some technologies would never have been invented in the private sector,\u0027 said Rowe. \u0027Sometimes you need fundamental scientific breakthroughs. But afterwards there needs to be a transition to the market.\u0027\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERisk takers\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EUniversities will need to improve their policies around spin-off businesses for this process to work better, argues Rowe. As it stands, when technology is developed at an institution, universities and even individual academics take a share of the value in a spin-off company.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe problem is, sometimes this share becomes too high. When this happens it potentially impacts the further growth of the company by disincentivising private investment. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0027The university or academic who gets the equity doesn\u0027t get any risk,\u0027 said Rowe. \u0027The PhD-students or postdocs who founded the company take all the risk.\u0027\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBy taking an equity stake that is too large, institutions could potentially affect the development of the business. \u0027We need to ensure that young researchers can go out and take risks,\u0027 said Rowe.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the meantime, Deep Branch seems to be a good example of how the transition from academia to private industry can work well. With a growing team, the business is seeking further investment to develop their next facility.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0027We\u0027re keeping busy\u0027, said Rowe, smiling.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ch5\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/h5\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-bg-bluelightest tw-p-12 tw-my-12 tw--mx-16\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3 class=\u0022tw-font-sans tw-font-bold tw-text-blue tw-uppercase tw-text-lg tw-mb-8\u0022\u003EEU TalentOn talent search\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-inline-block tw-w-1\/6 tw-h-1 tw-bg-blue tw-mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Cstrong\u003EEU TalentOn\u003C\/strong\u003E is a new event that aims to find and support research talent to market solutions for the most urgent challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe inaugural TalentOn event invites young academics to develop a pitch for a product or service that addresses the societal challenges of cancer, climate change, smart cities, healthy soils and ocean health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese challenges are reflected in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/research-and-innovation\/funding\/funding-opportunities\/funding-programmes-and-open-calls\/horizon-europe\/eu-missions-horizon-europe_en\u0022\u003Ethe EU Missions for Horizon Europe\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETalentOn takes place in Leiden, the European City of Science 2022. At the end of four days of workshops, lectures, and advice, the hopeful academics will pitch their ideas to a jury and to the public.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo learn more and find out how to apply, follow the link to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/talenton.eu\/\u0022\u003Ethe Talenton homepage.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-zyedcj-7jef3dkyqs50hejhiypmgfq6c35w3f-wobyg\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-zYedcJ-7jef3dKyQS50heJHiYPMGFq6c35W3f-WOByg\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]