BioCyclix

About the team

BioCyclix is the product of passionate individuals aiming to rethink the circularity of nutrients and energy used in indoor farms. Our objective is to tackle energy-intensive and heavily polluted industries, promoting resource efficiency and repurposing. To achieve this, we leverage our diverse expertise in Natural Sciences, Sustainability, AI & Technology, and Strategy & Innovation. Inspiring each other to push our boundaries with an open mind is our motto.

Our vision

Given that the world’s population is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, more fertilizers will be needed to supply everyone’s food needs. However, nutrients, namely, nitrogen and phosphorus have exceeded their safe limit according to the planetary boundaries (PBs). Therefore, avoiding the anticipated acceleration of synthetic fertilizers is crucial as it may worsen nutrient imbalances, further pollute the environment, and raise fertilizer costs, all of which could have a significant negative impact on food security in developing countries. With these problems in mind, our vision is to bring the food sector within a safe operating space by embedding the sector in global sustainability, equity, and resilience. We believe that addressing the issue related to the biogeochemical flows PB may also lessen the pressures on the other PBs. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/foresight/global-population-growing_en&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1736421609454553&usg=AOvVaw3aGElfPXOwiouiOs9c-Y_b

Our solution

Our two-part solution transforms human and animal excreta into essential resources within nutrient and energy cycles. Using anaerobic digestion, organic materials such as feces and urea are converted into digestate and biogas, primarily methane and carbon dioxide. This process efficiently extracts nitrogen and phosphorus from the digestate, producing high-quality fertilizers and helping alleviate the pressures on the biogeochemical flows of PB. The readily available nitrogen in urea quickly transforms into ammonia, facilitating its capture and utilization as a nutrient. Additionally, the biogas can be harnessed to generate electricity, offering a sustainable energy source that can be reintegrated into the system, supporting the energy-intensive requirements of indoor farming and addressing climate change related issues. Thereby, this solution takes a PB approach, where addressing the nutrient flows simultaneously alleviates pressures on other planetary boundaries. References: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653520314120 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016236119304569 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10643389.2018.1558889 https://www.epa.gov/agstar/how-does-anaerobic-digestion-work#:~:text=Anaerobic%20digestion%20produces%20two%20valuable%20outputs%3A%20biogas%20and%20digestate. https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/news-views/human-manure-closing-the-nutrient-loop/ https://www.nature.com/articles/461472a https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-023-00409-5.

Our Artist impression

Social media pitch