Outcomes

C5 will progressively scale its Solar-to-Isoprene system from controlled laboratory photobioreactors to a fully integrated 25-litre pilot demonstrator at Wageningen University’s AlgaePARC.

The pilot demonstration—conducted at Wageningen University’s AlgaePARC facilities—includes testing different CO₂ sources, continuous-mode cultivation, and outdoor-like day–night profiles to simulate realistic industrial conditions.

This stepwise development ensures that the engineered strains, synthetic organelle, GED cycle, and harvesting system operate together as a robust, scalable Solar-to-X device, demonstrating technological maturity and readiness for further scale-up.

C5 targets measurable improvements across the full solar-to-isoprene pathway:

• 20x higher carbon partitioning toward isoprene compared to current engineered strains.
• 3x improved catalytic activity of key CO₂-fixation and biosynthetic enzymes.
• >99% efficient gas-phase isoprene recovery with minimal purification.
• >50% higher yields and volumetric productivity compared with conventional flask-based cultivation.

These gains are expected to reduce GHG emissions by >50% relative to fossil-based isoprene. The environmental and economic relevance will be rigorously assessed through integrated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA).

Beyond isoprene, the same platform can be adapted to produce a wide range of high-value isoprenoid —a molecular family of more than 50,000 compounds that includes materials, pharmaceutical precursors, fragrances, nutraceuticals, and specialty chemicals.

This positions C5 as a foundation for future low-carbon, carbon-negative biomanufacturing at industrial scale.