Glaia

Did you know that plant photosynthesis is relatively inefficient, with only 1% of sunlight converted into energy? 

Glaia is a Bristol-based company working to increase plant growth by targeting photosynthetic inefficiency, a crucial limiting factor in crop productivity. The company circumvents the problem by using carbon-based nanomaterials to enhance photosynthesis and convert more solar energy into food.

The technology has proven to be effective in field trials, where the carbon dots are applied as a foliar spray or as irrigation, resulting in yield increases of 8% for tomatoes, 25% for lettuce and 21% for strawberries. This means that yields can be increased without the need for extra fertilisers that are environmentally damaging. The carbon dots themselves do not have an environmental impact as they are synthetic analogues of naturally occurring carbon dots. They are also water soluble, allowing them to be used in line with existing farming practices.

Glaia was co-founded by Dr Imke Sittel and Dr David Benito in 2019 as a spin-out from the Bristol Centre for Synthetic Biology (BrisSynBio) and the School of Chemistry. After initial product development, the company launched their first commercial product, Fragaria, in 2024. Fragaria is a foliar application of the carbon dot technology that acts as a strawberry yield enhancer.

The next steps for Glaia involve expansion into the EU and North American agricultural markets as well as growing the product range by developing photosynthetic enhancers for staple crops such as rice, wheat, and soy. Estimates from the Royal Geographical Society indicate that if the technology were to be used worldwide, global crop yields could be increased by 20% while mitigating 8% of carbon emissions. Glaia’s technology is an important contribution towards environmentally friendly agricultural growth.