From Carbon to Protein: Industrialising Photosynthesis

From Climate Solutions News by RESET Media

May 21, 2026 · 22 min · Episode 22

About this episode

The episode discusses Arborea's BioSolar Leaf technology and its potential to transform carbon dioxide into protein through industrialized photosynthesis.

What if the carbon dioxide coming out of a factory could go straight into growing protein? That is the logic behind Arborea's BioSolar Leaf technology, and it is attracting serious interest from some of the world's largest food companies. Dominic Shales speaks with Dr Kaly Chatakondu, Global Commercial Director at Arborea, about the London-based startup that has spent a decade industrialising photosynthesis to cultivate microalgae at commercial scale. Kaly brings more than 30 years of senior food industry experience and a chemistry doctorate from the University of Oxford. He explains how the BioSolar Leaf system works, why its economics and contamination profile solve problems that have held back the microalgae sector for decades, and how Arborea is building its first full commercial factory in Portugal while quietly assembling a portfolio of offtake agreements with major multinationals. The conversation covers the AB InBev collaboration in Mexico, the regulatory landscape for novel food ingredients, and what a global rollout via joint ventures and technology licensing could look like. Takeaways The food system accounts for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Arborea's…

People in this episode

Host: Dominic Shales

Guest: Dr Kaly Chatakondu

Topics covered

photosynthesis
microalgae
sustainable food production
carbon capture
food industry
environmental technology

Keywords

carbon dioxide
protein production
microalgae cultivation
sustainable agriculture
food companies
environmentally friendly

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Arborea, AB InBev, University of Oxford

Products: BioSolar Leaf, Spirulina

Places: Portugal, Mexico, London