TotalEnergies, Veolia to research microalgae for biofuels at French biorefinery

TotalEnergies has launched a research project with French waste and water utility Veolia to accelerate the development of advanced biofuels made from microalgae fed by CO2, the companies said July 6.

Under the agreement, the companies will set up a four-year research and testing project to grow microalgae at TotalEnergies La Mede biorefinery in southern France, with the long-term goal of producing biofuel.

Microalgae use sunlight and CO2 from the atmosphere or from industrial processes to grow and can be transformed into biofuels when mature with a low carbon intensity. With a high biomass yield, microalgae can produce both oils and ethanol able to replace traditional crop-based sources of biofuels such as rapeseed, palm oil and corn.

TotalEnergies said it will provide expertise in the cultivation and refining of biomass to produce advanced biofuels as well as CO2 capture and utilization technologies. Veolia said it will bring its expertise in the water sector to optimize the microalgae's aquatic environment.

"We are pleased to join forces with Veolia at our La Mede site to accelerate the assessment of microalgae cultivation systems using CO2, in the aim of producing next-generation biofuels," TotalEnergies' Chief Technology Officer Marie-Noelle Semeria said in a statement.

Currently, TotalEnergies' La Mede plant near Marseille can produce 500,000 mt/year of premium hydrotreated-vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel. after it was converted to a biorefinery in 2019.

Advanced biofuels

TotalEnergies is looking to reduce emissions by its customers in Europe by 30% by 2030 and to reduce emissions by its customers globally to less than 2015 levels by 2030. It has a net-zero ambition worldwide from its operations by 2050 or sooner based on its scope 1 and 2 emissions.

The energy major is involved in two main biomass conversion pathways: thermochemical conversion, which enables biomass to be transformed into a wide range of molecules through the combined action of pressure, temperature and often a catalyst, and biotechnology, which includes microorganisms, such as yeast and microalgae.

It is the lead partner in the existing BioTfueL project to produce biodiesel and biojet fuel from lignocellulosic biomass, such as straw and forest waste at its plant near Dunkirk in northern France.

The company also has research partnerships for microalgae with China's Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, the Wageningen University, and Qatar University.

In January, Total signed a cooperation agreement with utility Engie to design, develop, build and operate a renewable hydrogen production site near La Mede.

TotalEnergies is Europe's leading retailer of biofuels, with more than 2.4 million mt incorporated into its gasoline and diesel in 2018.