Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi – KEZAD Group has signed a lease agreement with UAE-based company Astha Biotech, to open a new microalgae production facility in Al Ain.
Astha Biotech will invest AED44 million in the project, which will see a 38,000 square metre facility established to cultivate strains of microalgae such as Spirulina, Haematococcus pluvialis and Chlorella.
“We are more than happy to welcome Astha Biotech, an infrastructure company with a focus on the green economy. At KEZAD Group, we are developing new enabling infrastructure for companies to further improve their sustainable practices, including transitioning to a greener economy,” Mohamed Al Khadar Al Ahmed, CEO of KEZAD Group said.
Capturing CO2 for microalgae growth
The facility aims to capture up to 1,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually from local industries to use as a carbon source to grow the microalgae.
“We are so proud to be part of Abu Dhabi’s ambitious programme geared towards sustainable development. Our project is in-line with our values where we aim at translating our will to seek out new solutions to deal with the challenges of organic dietary nutriments and the contribution to the environment decarbonisation,” Zouheir Bensaid, CEO of Astha Biotech added.
Astha Biotech will initially focus on producing microalgae for the dietary supplements market.
The microalgae will be cultivated in a sustainable manner using closed culture processes and photobioreactors.
The new facility expects to hire and train 30 highly skilled personnel. This is the first UAE company focused on microalgae production for applications in health, cosmetics, food and aquaculture.
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