The MULTIPLY project brings together partners from across Europe to develop and scale 10 microalgae-based solutions for five industrial sectors. By replacing fossil- and food-derived ingredients with bio-based ingredients, the project aims to reduce the environmental footprint of everyday products and bring algae-based alternatives to market.

Working with five microalgae species—diatoms, Arthrospira (spirulina), Tetraselmis, Nannochloropsis, and Chromochloris zofingiensis—MULTIPLY is developing products that demonstrate how algae can be a high-value commodity for various sectors, including:

Food: natural colorants and protein-rich ingredients.
Animal feed: a salmon feed component enriched with microalgae compounds.
Cosmetics: oils and esters for personal care.
Lubricants: bio-based esters that replace oils in conventional products.
Biomaterials and packaging: compostable films, paper coatings, and other oil- and starch-based packaging solutions. “Microalgae drive a circular future that encapsulates our approach,” stated project coordinator Marta Paiva of A4F during the latest project meeting held in Berlin. “We focus on specific products and sectors where algae can realistically replace conventional raw materials, supported by technical, sustainability, and scalability data.”

From Wastewater to High-Value Resources
At Cetaqua-Water Technology Center, innovative technologies will be used to recover nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from urban and industrial wastewater and reuse them in microalgae cultivation.

To this end, Cetaqua will lead three pilot plants: two at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) operated by Veolia in Murcia and Ourense, to recover phosphorus and ammonium salts respectively, and a third in Lisbon, aimed at transforming the recovered ammonium into nitrate, a compound particularly suitable for microalgae cultivation.

Miguel Martínez, Project Manager and researcher at Cetaqua, highlights the benefits of this circular approach: “By recovering nutrients, we reduce our dependence on conventional fertilizers, moving towards more sustainable production models with a lower environmental impact and aligned with circular economy principles.”

Packaging Applications
Aimplas, the Technological Institute of Plastics, is also participating in the project, developing sustainable solutions and materials from compounds and polymers extracted from microalgae for various packaging applications. Activities include the formulation of recyclable barrier coatings for paper substrates, with water and grease resistance, as an alternative to conventional paper/PE multilayer structures.

Aimplas is also involved in the development of an active cosmetic packaging that integrates microalgae-derived materials, including functional compounds, encapsulation matrices, and structural materials, with the aim of improving product stability and reducing the need for preservatives in cosmetic formulations.

Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, MULTIPLY will also test a new digital monitoring tool in the coming months and deliver the first algae extracts and oils for product development—key steps in bringing algae-based solutions to market. At the same time, it will conduct further sustainability and market acceptance studies to pave the way for future algae-based products.