Start-up wants to process quagga mussels into cement and fertilizer
Published: Thursday, Jul 25th 2024, 11:40
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The invasive quagga mussel is not only a threat to the ecosystem. The Lausanne-based start-up company Alien Limited also senses economic potential. It wants to process the harmful molluscs into cement and fertilizer.
While quagga mussels are multiplying rapidly in Swiss lakes and threatening biodiversity by colonizing sewers, fishing nets, boat hulls and beaches, Alien Limited wants to "turn this plague into an opportunity," company founder Carole Fonty told the Keystone-SDA news agency on request.
The aim is to break down the inedible mussel into its individual parts and exploit all possible sales opportunities. First of all, she wants to extract the lime from the mussels to produce a low-CO2 cement.
To achieve this, the entrepreneur is working together with the Laboratory for Building Materials at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). The aim is to replace rock limestone with shell limestone in the production process of LC3 cement, which reduces CO2 emissions by 40 percent compared to conventional cement.
"The test results have confirmed that the technical properties of this cement are similar to those of LC3 cement made from limestone," says Fonty. As a global pioneer in this field, she has already been approached by several cement manufacturers who are interested in her research.
Promising test results
After the shell, the Geneva-based company looked for a use for the meat of the mussel. Studies were carried out together with the HEIG-VD university in Yverdon, and the final results are expected this fall. The initial results are promising. Quagga mussels, with the minerals and nutrients they contain, could also serve as an "organic and local fertilizer" for agriculture, says Fonty.
In addition to universities, her start-up company has also worked with public institutions in recent months. In particular, a pilot project with Lausanne's public utility company is planned for the end of the year. The aim is to test whether Alien Limited is able to industrialize its work processes.
Fonty hopes to collect "about 100 tons" of quagga mussels next year before taking it a step further. For 2045, she is aiming for "several thousand tons", stressing that the balance of the lake must be respected.
"The idea is not to dredge the bottom of the lake, but to make a collection that does not exploit the ecosystem," she emphasizes. Partnerships are currently being forged with fishermen, public institutions and companies that use the lake to collect the molluscs.
Nor is the goal to be limited to Lake Geneva, as the technology that makes it possible to separate the mineral and organic parts of the mussel can be replicated, notes Fonty. She points to other lakes that are currently facing invasion by the quagga mussel, such as Lake Neuchâtel, Lake Biel and Lake Constance.
Alien Limited, based in Lausanne, was officially founded in May. However, its beginnings date back to the summer of 2023, when Fonty decided to change direction and "do something for the lake", as she says, after a 15-year career in marketing and management.
The Paris native, who has lived in Geneva since 2010, then approached various stakeholders on Lake Geneva. "In my conversations, I immediately realized that the quagga mussel was a big problem. There was a feeling of a hopeless battle. As I love challenges, I got involved."
Awards to get you started
And with success. Her project has already won several prizes in competitions for start-ups: the Genilem Prize at the end of 2023 in Lausanne and, most recently, one of the Venture Prizes in Zurich. She is also one of the finalists for the "Innovate 4 Nature" prize, the final of which will take place in Arles (F) in September.
In addition to the support and funds raised through these competitions, Alien Limited receives further support, in particular from Innosuisse and the Impact Hub in Lausanne.
©Keystone/SDA
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