London/Copenhagen 28 March 2023: Unibio International PLC, the leading sustainable protein company, is pleased to announce that the Saudi Industrial Investment Group (“SIIG”) has…
28 Mar 2023Sustainability
Unibio is committed to the continuous development of the U-Loop design and product applications with sustainability in focus.
The use of feed mix for animals has a certain impact on the environment in terms of how the leftovers from the animals affect the surroundings.
The goal of the project is to prove that an amino acid profile specifically designed for pigs will:
- lead to higher productivity
- use less additives in the feed mix
- add fewer nitrates to the surroundings
Click on the below tabs to read more about Unibio’s commitment to sustainability:
Natural gas turned into food
• About 140 billion cubic metres (5 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas are being flared and vented annually.
* Source: GGFR8 World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Tracker report, April 2021
Why not use this gas to feed the world?
With the Unibio technology it is possible to produce approx. 70,000,000 tonnes of UniProtein® by using the gas otherwise flared.
Natural Gas flaring
The Unibio technology enables venting and gas flaring to be reduced as it utilizes an environmentally harmful gas in the production of single cell protein
• Nearly 140 billion cubic metres (or 5.3 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas are being flared and vented annually by the oil industry
• The gas flared annually is equivalent to 25% of the United States’ gas consumption, 30% of the European Union’s gas consumption, or 75% of Russia’s gas exports. The gas flared yearly also represents more than the combined gas consumption of Central and South America
• The annual 35 bcm (or 1.2 trillion cubic feet) of gas flared in Africa alone is equivalent to half of that continent’s power consumption
• Gas flaring has a global impact on climate change by adding about 400 million tonnes of CO₂ to annual emissions
• Fewer than 20 countries account for more than 70% of gas flaring and venting. And just four countries together flare about 70 billion cubic metres of associated gas.
Estimated Flared Volume from Satellite Data (in bcm)
Country/Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Change 2020-2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Russia | 22.37 | 19.92 | 21.28 | 23.21 | 24.88 | 1.66 |
Iraq | 17.73 | 17.84 | 17.82 | 17.91 | 17.37 | -0.54 |
Iran | 16.41 | 17.67 | 17.28 | 13.78 | 13.26 | -0.52 |
United States | 8.86 | 9.48 | 14.07 | 17.29 | 11.81 | -5.49 |
Algeria | 9.10 | 8.80 | 9.01 | 9.34 | 9.32 | -0.02 |
Venezuela | 9.35 | 7.00 | 8.22 | 9.54 | 8.59 | -0.95 |
Nigeria | 7.31 | 7.65 | 7.44 | 7.83 | 7.20 | -0.63 |
Mexico | 4.78 | 3.79 | 3.89 | 4.48 | 5.77 | 1.28 |
China | 1.96 | 1.56 | 1.82 | 2.02 | 2.72 | 0.70 |
Oman | 2.82 | 2.60 | 2.54 | 2.63 | 2.52 | -0.11 |
Libya | 2.35 | 3.91 | 4.67 | 5.12 | 2.47 | -2.65 |
Malaysia | 3.16 | 2.83 | 2.25 | 2.37 | 2.41 | 0.04 |
Egypt | 2.83 | 2.34 | 2.26 | 2.34 | 2.36 | 0.02 |
Saudi Arabia | 2.38 | 2.32 | 2.29 | 2.10 | 2.26 | 0.16 |
Indonesia | 2.77 | 2.33 | 2.06 | 2.00 | 1.88 | -0.12 |
Angola | 4.49 | 3.80 | 2.79 | 2.33 | 1.87 | -0.46 |
Rep of the Congo | 1.14 | 1.14 | 1.58 | 1.67 | 1.79 | 0.11 |
Turkmenistan | 1.84 | 1.67 | 1.50 | 1.34 | 1.67 | 0.33 |
India | 2.06 | 1.50 | 1.34 | 1.31 | 1.49 | 0.19 |
Kazakhstan | 2.67 | 2.42 | 2.05 | 1.57 | 1.48 | -0.09 |
Gabon | 1.56 | 1.50 | 1.38 | 1.46 | 1.47 | 0.01 |
Canada | 1.30 | 1.34 | 1.33 | 1.05 | 1.08 | 0.03 |
United Kingdom | 1.34 | 1.35 | 1.21 | 1.11 | 1.06 | -0.05 |
Argentina | 0.56 | 0.51 | 0.70 | 0.94 | 1.06 | 0.11 |
Ecuador | 1.15 | 1.07 | 0.90 | 0.92 | 1.04 | 0.12 |
Qatar | 1.08 | 1.03 | 1.03 | 1.34 | 1.01 | -0.34 |
Brazil | 1.44 | 1.10 | 1.00 | 1.14 | 0.99 | -0.14 |
Syria | 0.55 | 1.19 | 0.69 | 0.93 | 0.98 | 0.05 |
Australia | 0.73 | 0.66 | 0.86 | 1.39 | 0.98 | 0.41 |
UAE | 0.84 | 0.98 | 1.15 | 0.90 | 0.96 | 0.06 |
Rest of the world | 10.7 | 9.3 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.4 | -0.22 |
Total | 148 | 141 | 145 | 150 | 142 | -7.88 |
* Source: GGFR & World Bank: Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, April 2021
52% Cut in Co2 Emissions
Production of Uniprotein® from natural gas versus flaring of natural gas
Q: How much CO₂ is formed by flaring 200 million m3 of natural gas?
A: When methane (which is the principal component of natural gas – about 92%) is flared at whichever temperature, it follows the reaction CH4 + 2 O2 > CO₂ + 2 H2O. As can be seen, 1 mol of CO₂ per mol of CH4 is formed, or 1 m3 CO₂ per m3 CH4.
The answer is thus: 200 million m3 CO₂ are formed. Expressed in tonne CO₂ , the answer is:
At 25 oC there is in 1 m3 CO₂ 1000/24.2 = 41.3 mol CO₂ = 1.818 kg. In 200 million m3
CO₂ there is thus 363 106kg = 363,000 tonnes CO₂
Q: How much CO2 is emitted by using 200 million m3 of natural gas for fermentation and production of SCP?
A: Production of SCP based on methane follows the reaction:
CH4 + 1.454 O2 + 0.105 NH3 > 0.520 X (biomass) + 0.480 CO2 + 1.69 H2O
Only 48% of the CO₂ resulting from the above answer is thus released. This equals 96 million m3 or
174,200 tonnes of CO₂ . By using 200 million m3 of natural gas for fermentation and
production of SCP instead of flaring it, a 52% reduction in CO₂ emissions is thus achieved.
John Villadsen
Professor, dr techn, tekn.dr h.c.mult
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