HutanBio develops HBx, a carbon-negative bio-oil produced from algae grown using CO2 as a feedstock in custom bioreactor farms. The company’s farms are AI‑controlled to optimise yields and are designed to operate on brackish to very salty, non‑agricultural, semi‑arid and arid land without using fresh water. HBx is positioned for maritime and heavy transport decarbonization, claiming high energy density, low sulfur content and the ability to avoid deforestation and peatland loss. HutanBio says its production model can sit adjacent to high CO2‑emitting industrial sites to offer a circular carbon capture‑and‑use solution. The company traces HBx to 10 years of research and the world’s largest marine microalgae bioprospecting programme, and was founded by scientists from Cambridge University and in Malaysia. HutanBio intends to bring several customer sites online by 2027 and to operate at least two mega‑sites by 2030. HutanBio develops HBx, a sustainable high-energy-density, low-carbon, sulphur-free bio-oil produced using CO₂ as a feedstock for algae. The algae are grown in HutanBio-designed bioreactor farms that are controlled by artificial intelligence to optimise yields. Those farms are intended to be built on unproductive and non-agricultural semi-arid and arid land in countries with high levels of sunlight. HBx is designed to blend seamlessly with existing infrastructure and supply chains and requires no engine or vessel modification, enabling immediate adoption without affecting operational efficiency. The company plans to expand its engineering and business development teams in Cambridge and to accelerate commercial deployment of HBx to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. HutanBio was founded in 2019 and is led by CEO Paul Beastall; the company raised £2.25M in funding led by Clean Growth Fund.

Total raised

$7M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Jul 2024