Can we grow food without fields, without sunlight, and without using a single square meter of farmland? It may sound like science fiction, but today, the 21st of November 2025, a new facility opens at Aarhus University's research center and campus near the city of Viborg in western Denmark – known as AU Viborg. The plant is designed to convert CO₂ and hydrogen into protein. The process is powered by green electricity and microorganisms. And the potential is enormous.

The new facility aims to pave the way for a new generation of sustainable foods while addressing some of the greatest challenges in the global food system.

“If we are to achieve a sustainable carbon cycle without relying on fossil resources, this kind of technology is absolutely essential,” says Professor Lasse Rosendahl, Director of the Novo Nordisk Foundation CO₂ Research Center (CORC), which has funded and operates the plant.

From CO₂ and electricity to functional proteins

The facility serves as a prototype of a future protein factory. In an oxygen-free reactor, CO₂ and hydrogen are first converted into acetic acid. Then, yeast cells feed on the acid and grow into a protein-rich biomass.

“The biomass is a big mishmash of all kinds of proteins,” explains Anne Louise Dannesboe Nielsen, Head of the Department of Food Science at Aarhus University. “But our hope is that we can extract proteins with functional properties and a neutral taste through simple purification. Proteins that can, for example, bind water in a mayonnaise or form foam on a cappuccino.”

In the long term, such proteins could potentially replace eggs or milk in ready-made meals, or be developed into entirely new products with a climate-friendly profile.

A supplement to agriculture and not a replacement

The plant in Foulum currently uses CO₂ from Aarhus University’s nearby biogas facility. But the technology is designed to also use CO₂ from air, seawater, or industrial point sources like flue gas. This opens the door to producing food in places where agriculture isn’t possible, such as deserts, urban areas, or small islands. And all without fertilizers, pesticides, or large quantities of water.

“Because of the climate and biodiversity crises, land used for conventional agriculture is being increasingly withdrawn,” says Thomas Lundgaard, Deputy Head of Department at the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering.

He continues: 

“That means we need alternatives to supplement traditional farming and with this technology, we hope to produce food without needing agricultural land.”

The pilot plant sets the stage for full-scale production

The facility is a pilot plant – not yet ready for industrial-scale production. Significant research and development are still needed. The next step is to explore how the biomass can be purified and applied in food production, and whether this can be done efficiently and cost-effectively.

One key aim is to examine the techno-economic framework and assess whether a viable business case can be established, the foundation for what is currently a fledgling industry.

“We’re also building a digital twin using data from over 200 sensors,” says Lasse Rosendahl.
“It will help future investors assess both risk and potential, enabling a faster path from pilot to full-scale implementation.”

And building the plant at real-life scale is absolutely crucial, emphasizes Professor Lars Ottosen, Head of the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering:

“These processes can only become efficient and viable if we’re able to integrate them properly. If not, the benefits are lost. You have to study them in combination and that requires building them. You can’t just analyze your way to integration in a lab flask. Practical process integration is what makes the difference.”

In short: realizing the full potential of this technology requires connecting science and engineering in the real world. That’s exactly what the pilot plant at AU Viborg enables. But the long-term vision goes even further, underlines Lasse Rosendahl:

“We want to create a setup that is internationally attractive and leading – supporting our researchers while also establishing a European powerhouse. With this platform, Danish food research holds something truly unique: a combined strength in sustainable food and protein production and in carbon capture and utilization (CCU).”