Young Henrys mission to ‘drink beer, save the world’ is pushing forward with further advancements to The Algae Project, installing Chart Industries’ Earthly Lab’s CiCi carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology to its brewery, which produces both gas for the brewery and food for its algae bioreactors.
Young Henrys Algae Project began in 2020 when it installed a glowing, green bioreactor at its brewery. It's work towards carbon emissions reduction saw the brewers become B-Corp certified in April.
Collaborating with the University Technology Sydney (UTS) lab, the CO2 capture portfolio approach could be scaled throughout Australia and taken globally, and Young Henrys has also found a way to use its CO2-rich algae as a feed supplement by combining it with spent grain. This feed can be given to livestock, helping to reduce methane emissions.
Young Henrys founder Richard Adamson said Chart’s Earthly Labs CO2 capture technology added to Young Henrys’ portfolio and furthered its vision of a carbon-positive brewery.
“From inception, we wanted to be an innovative showcase for sustainability in all we did. Our carbon capture efforts are first of a kind for the world, reducing our emissions and our costs,” said Adamson.
Young Henrys brewery captures thousands of pounds of CO2 each month, largely using it to offset all of the CO2 consumption used to purge the tanks.
The 400-litre algae bioreactor installed in the brewery produces as much oxygen as one hectare of Australian forest. The UTS lab is working with Young Henrys to explore ways to scale up microalgae production, while ensuring the well-being of livestock.
Chart Industries president and CEO Jill Evanko said carbon capture innovation has long been reserved for large-scale projects, but small-scale technology had made it affordable and achievable for all-size businesses.
For example, the CiCi (Oak) system is the size of a refrigerator, offering easy installation and remote monitoring and service.
“We are excited by the $1 billion plus market opportunity in Australia for carbon capture and look forward to supporting our customers with additional solutions from our Chart Nexus of Clean menu,” said Evanko.
Young Henrys said it hopes to continue the work alongside its dedicated partners, and hope to share the Algae Project with other breweries in the future.
