The start-up is investing €14 million to produce 150 tonnes/year of chitosans from plant and animal bioresources by 2023. The company is already planning to increase production capacity to 1,500 tonnes/year from 2025.
Alpha Chitin, a biobased chemistry start-up whose ambition is to become Europe's benchmark producer of chitin/chitosans, has laid the foundation stone for its production site on the Lacq platform (64).
A €14 M investment
This site represents an investment of 14 million euros, financed by the initial shareholders, Bpifrance, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département, the Bureau de développement économique et attractivité Adour (BDEA), the Communauté de communes de Lacq-Orthez (CCLO), banking partners (Crédit Agricole Pyrénées Gascogne, BNP, Caisse d'Épargne Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Société Générale), Financière Pouyanne and Total Energies Développement Régional.
In Lacq, the start-up, winner of the Plan de Relance pour l'Industrie "support for industrial investment and modernization", will scale up its processes and start marketing chitosans. The new plant, covering a total area of 1.2 ha (including utilities and production buildings), will comprise :
- A building for larval growth and mycelium production,
- An extraction and purification building equipped with bioreactors for production of up to 250 t/year,
- An R&D laboratory,
- An office zone.
Some 20 direct jobs by 2022
Since perfecting its process to ensure traceability, repeatability and quality control throughout the manufacture of chitin extracted from the insect Hermetia Illucens, Alpha Chitin has continued its research and development work. In addition to Hermetia Illucens, the start-up is now working with two new sources: Antarctic krill for the production of crystalline chitosans, and a mycelium chosen for the production of chitosans, notably Vegan.
"Chitosans, with their natural antibacterial and anti-fungal qualities, 100 % compatible with the human body, bring new perspectives and innovative solutions particularly in human health. We intend to meet the growing demand from French and European manufacturers and biotech companies by supplying them with pharmaceutical-grade chitosans with full traceability, which none of our competitors in the world can offer today. The Lacq platform is ideal for the deployment of our business, and TotalEnergies Développement Régional's support was invaluable from both a financial and logistical point of view, enabling us to conclude this construction operation within tight deadlines despite the health crisis.says Philippe Crochard, President of Alpha Chitin.
"When we met the founders of Alpha Chitin, we were convinced by their advanced project and their clear vision of the market. We therefore decided to support them both industrially, with the help of Sobegi, and financially, for the construction of their production site in Lacq. The installation of Alpha Chitin contributes to the success of the industrial reconversion of the Lacq basin, a process to which TotalEnergies is very committed.says Isabelle Patrier, Director of Relations France and Regional Development at TotalEnergies.
"Having a production capacity for chitin molecules and chitosans in France is strategic. China, the world's main supplier of chitin and chitosan, limited exports during the health crisis that affected many French and European companies. We are therefore delighted that Alpha Chitin, the only French producer of chitosans, has set up in France.concludes Patrice Laurent, President of the Lacq-Orthez Community of Communes.
Ever more promising applications
Demand for chitin and chitosans is growing fast (+17 %/year), thanks to their many applications in fields as varied as water treatment, food and beverages, cosmetics, industry, biomedicine and pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals.
Alpha Chitin plans to begin marketing high value-added chitosans to healthcare players, manufacturers and biotechs with whom the company already has close relationships through collaborations. The start-up has targeted four main programs:
- Fungal chitosan for applications where fast qualification and vegan quality are important;
- Transporting molecules and/or using chitosans as adjuvants, for vaccines or targeted therapies, for example;
- Functionalization of chitosans for tissue engineering (production of bio-compatible skin);
- The development of an extrudable chitosan-based material to produce implantable and resorbable medical devices.
The ramp-up of Alpha Chitin's production site by 2025 (150 employees on site) will enable these developments to be carried out successfully. The company has set itself an ambitious timetable for the next 18 months, with several stages for :
- Part of the buildings available by the end of March 2022
- Integrate machines and processes by the end of May 2022
- Acceptance of the entire building by the end of May 2022
- Production testing in June and July 2022
- Start production of batches to be marketed in July 2022 to reach production of 150 tonnes/year in early 2023
As part of its roadmap, Alpha Chitin plans to launch a study to increase production to 1,500 tonnes per year by 2025. A major new fund-raising campaign will be launched in early 2023.
What's the difference between chitin and chitosan?
Chitin is the structural component of insects, crustaceans (mainly shrimps and crabs) and fungal cell walls. It is the second most abundant natural polysaccharide after cellulose.
Chitosan is obtained by deacetylating chitin, and can be functionalized according to the applications in which it will be used.
Alpha Chitin extracts chitin from the bioresources it has selected, solely in order to obtain the traceable raw material it will use in the production of its chitosans. The start-up will only market high value-added chitosans, which it will produce "on demand" according to its customers' planned applications.
