From CO₂ to Cash: Turning pollution into the next generation of products

Forget burying or capturing carbon. The EU-funded VIVALDI project is doing something much more innovative, taking CO₂ emissions from bio-based industries and transforming them into useful, earth-friendly chemicals - in this case, high-value organic acids.

It's not a single company, but a massive collaboration of 16 European partners - led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) - working to close the carbon loop and accelerate Europe’s transition to a circular CO₂-based bioeconomy, proving that waste can truly be a new gold mine.

Why is this such a big deal? Because our planet is struggling, and we need to power the bioeconomy.

The bioeconomy is all about using renewable biological resources - like crops, forests, and organic waste - to produce food, energy, and industrial products, effectively replacing fossil fuels.

Repurposing CO₂

VIVALDI’s core mission is simple but huge: take polluting factories and turn them into environmental heroes. This cuts down on the CO₂ heating our atmosphere and stops us from relying on fossil fuels to make plastics and chemicals.

By repurposing CO₂ into new products, VIVALDI is providing crucial, sustainable resources for the bioeconomy. It’s a win-win for Mother Earth and the economy, moving industries away from a linear "make-use-dispose" model to a circular economy.

The project’s major success lies in the creation of four high-value organic acids - the fundamental building blocks for new materials within the bioeconomy.

VIVALDI has proven it can turn CO₂ into products that can be used to make bio-based plastics that perform just as well as the old stuff. Even better, it has created components for sustainable animal feed.

These new bio-products are literally closing the loop and providing renewable carbon sources, proving that waste can be a better, cleaner raw material than oil.

“We have shown that CO₂ can become a valuable resource rather than a waste, paving the way for a new generation of CO₂-based industries,” Professor Albert Guisasola, project coordinator at UAB, said. “This is fully aligned with Europe’s climate goals and the Bioeconomy Strategy.”

How the magic happens

So, how do they perform this high-tech alchemy? The process is an ingenious two-step combo that underpins a thriving bio-based industry.

Using a hybrid electrochemical–biotechnological approach, CO₂ is first converted into simple molecules, such as formic acid and methanol, then transformed by engineered yeasts into organic acids like lactic, itaconic, succinic, and 3-hydroxypropionic acids.

These acids are essential building blocks for bio-based plastics, coatings, and sustainable packaging, helping replace fossil-based ingredients and supporting more sustainable production in areas like the chemicals sector.

The process is even made greener through the development of a bioelectrochemical process that recycles nutrients from the factory's wastewater, making the whole system incredibly circular and efficient.

The project is demonstrating its potential through proof-of-concept prototypes, including bio-based plastic cutlery and animal feed additives derived from CO₂.

By transforming CO₂ into renewable raw materials, VIVALDI directly supports the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and Circular Economy Action Plan, showing how innovation in biotechnology and electrochemistry can make Europe’s industrial sectors more sustainable, competitive, and resilient, while opening new bio-based markets and jobs.

It's this integrated approach that positions VIVALDI as a genuine game-changer and shows how the path to a greener future may begin where we least expect it — in the carbon we once considered waste.

For more information on VIVALDI, please visit their website.

The VIVALDI project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101000441.

Discover the EU's Bioeconomy Strategy.