NeoCarbons sets new gold standard in pharma-grade photobioreactor, hits 10 g/L/day

NeoCarbons sets new gold standard in pharma-grade photobioreactor, hits 10 g/L/day

The Swiss biotech’s 60-litre MVP delivers a productivity level well above what commercial photobioreactors reach at full power, with four-fifths of its light energy still in reserve

CLARENS, Switzerland, May 12, 2026. NeoCarbons, the Swiss biotech developing pharma-grade microalgae production equipment, today announced a record test result on its 60-litre photobioreactor: a sustained productivity set point of >10 grams per litre per day, and a biomass density of 19 grams per litre, recorded with only 20% of the reactor’s available light energy. The numbers are 2.5 times the company’s prior validated baseline, and they were produced on the same MVP NeoCarbons began placing with research partners earlier this year.

The record sits well above what conventional photoautotrophic systems deliver. Open ponds typically hold biomass at around 0.2-1.0 grams per litre. Tubular and panel photobioreactors run between 2 and 6 grams per litre at full light input. NeoCarbons reached more than triple that density at one-fifth of the reactor’s light draw, which points to significant remaining headroom before the technology hits its physical ceiling.

« These are the strongest numbers we have ever recorded, and we recorded them at one-fifth of the reactor’s available light energy, » said Jean-Louis Roux Dit Buisson, CEO and inventor of NeoCarbons. « Ten grams per litre per day of microalgae, produced photoautotrophically, sits well above what commercial photobioreactors typically deliver. Combined with a witnessed 3x expression of the metabolites of interest and a small footprint this is the number that will move pharma and cosmetics customers from pilots to procurement. NeoCarbons’ technology is scalable to suit the needs of product development phases. NeoCarbons welcomes requests for pilot tests. »

The commercial implication is direct. With traditional production technologies purification amounts up to 70% of total production cost in pharma, cosmetics, nutraceuticals and food manufacturing, because these cultivation systems contaminate their own output. NeoCarbons’ reactor delivers light inside a sterile stainless steel vessel, eliminating contamination at source and cutting downstream processing cost by up to 65%. Every step up in upstream productivity enlarges the downstream gain.

NeoCarbons holds patents in North America and in the European Union. The company has signed ten-plus Letters of Intent and two MOUs, including an exclusive turnkey partnership with De Dietrich Process Systems, a 340-year-old pharmaceutical equipment manufacturer.

The reactor’s first three commercial applications are Phaeodactylum tricornutum for fucoxanthin and recombinant proteins including GLP-1 analogues and cancer biosimilars, Hematococcus pluvialis for astaxanthin, and Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) for phycocyanin.

About NeoCarbons

NeoCarbons, headquartered in Clarens, Switzerland, develops patented photobioreactors for pharma-grade microalgae production. Its stainless steel reactor delivers light inside the culture at up to 35 W/L, producing clean biomass at up to 20 times the productivity per square metre of open-pond systems and cutting downstream processing cost by 65%. Target industries are pharma, cosmetics, nutraceuticals and food.Media contact

Jean-Louis Roux Dit Buisson, CEO
jlrb@neocarbons.com
+41 78 767 36 40
www.neocarbons.com