Property Description
In 2024, an academic venture company—TechnoAlga Eco Solutions (TAES)—was established under the TÜBİTAK 1812 program to translate UV-protective biomolecules obtained from microalgae into biotechnological products. The founding project, “Production of UV-Protective Biomolecules from Antarctic Microalgae for Sunscreen and Edible Coating Materials (2240440),” structured scalable production workflows, stability and safety assessments, pre-formulation compatibility tests, and regulatory documentation steps to carry laboratory-validated components into market-ready formulations. Embracing the principle of converting scientific output into public benefit, the venture designed a transparent and traceable value chain through university–industry collaborations and material transfer agreements.
Following establishment, the work advanced to scale-up and pre-production; quality systems (QA/QC), batch traceability, and pilot deployment plans (TRL-6/7) were prepared. With TÜBİTAK 1812 support, the production infrastructure—pilot production lines, process equipment, a quality-control laboratory, and traceability systems—was provided and commissioned. Designed with a circular, zero-waste approach, the biorefinery model prioritizes by-product valorization and closed-loop water/energy management. At the same time, process optimization and analytical verification capacity (HPLC, LC–MS/MS, and NMR where required) have been strengthened. The measurable impact of this approach is evident in pilot-scale comparative modeling: relative to conventional chemical UV filters, total carbon emissions decrease from ~1.3 kt to ~0.4 kt, direct carbon emissions from 3 t to 0 t; input consumption falls from ~1.11 kt to ~25 t; and waste output can be reduced from ~180 t to 0 t through zero-waste design. These results demonstrate tangible gains in reducing climate impact, improving resource efficiency, and lowering disposal burden, while enabling the safe and compliant commercialization of product families supported by photostability, toxicology, and regulation-readiness testing.