Bio Clean Carbon – Wastewater cleaning and CO2 capture Pilot project

This pilot project aims to test a circular wastewater treatment solution using a specially adapted cyanobacteria strain (BCCC) at NordZucker’s facility in Nakskov. The cyanobacteria remove nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and CO₂ from industrial wastewater through photosynthesis. The focus is a low-cost, field-level test using existing wastewater ponds to validate growth performance, nutrient removal, and CO₂ capture under real outdoor conditions.
The project builds on earlier laboratory results that showed up to 80% ammonium and 50% phosphorus removal. In this field test, Bio Clean Carbon will deploy small-scale cultivation units in NordZucker’s wastewater ponds, monitor biomass growth, and collect data on nutrient levels before and after treatment.

Results

With support from the Energy Fund, Bio Clean Carbon has advanced the development of an
optimized cyanobacterial strain tailored for enhanced bioremediation performance using
municipal wastewater as a nutrient medium. Through selective pressure and adaptive
laboratory evolution, we improved strain robustness, growth rate, and CO₂ biofixation efficiency
under non-sterile, nutrient-rich conditions. Our process contributes to climate mitigation and
nutrient recovery while minimizing operational inputs—aligning with national goals for
sustainable bioeconomy development. Pilot-scale validation is planned in collaboration with
municipal utilities.
Key findings:

• Strong growth was observed in both untreated and treated wastewater.
• The treated wastewater (WW2) produced the most promising results, supporting the
  highest growth rates, cell density, and pigment stability.
• These findings highlight WW2 as the preferred medium for future strain development
  and upscaling.
  This project demonstrates the potential of using engineered cyanobacteria to convert waste
  streams into valuable biological resources, contributing to circular economy goals and lowenergy biotechnology.
  We are grateful to the Environmental and Energy Foundation for their support, which has been
  instrumental in advancing this phase of our research.