Congratulations to the City of Green River! Airbuild, a clean energy startup focused on carbon capture, water remediation, and biochar, announced plans to develop its first microalgae facility on property leased from the city. The company plans to create 15 new jobs in the City of Green River and invest $9.5 million in Green River alone over the next 3 years.

The company’s announcement came as the result of collaboration among City of Green River, EDCUtah, USU Eastern, Better City, Utah Inland Port Authority, and the University of Utah PEAK water sustainability engine.

EDCUtah connected with Airbuild during a Global Strategy & Outreach (GS&O) trip to San Diego in May 2024. Following the meeting, EDCUtah issued a statewide Request for Information (RFI) to identify partner communities and potential locations. The City of Green River responded with strong interest, and a site visit was held in November 2024. EDCUtah supported Airbuild with connections to state permitting agencies, facilitated networking opportunities to bolster their grant writing efforts, and provided research to help the company identify key supporting businesses and contractors.

“We are honored to welcome Airbuild to Green River and proud to stand alongside partners who believe in the power of rural innovation. This project brings more than jobs and investment - it brings purpose. By turning organic waste into biochar, Airbuild is helping us lay the foundation for a more sustainable approach to fertilizer production across our region. It’s a win for our environment, our economy, and our farmers,” said Edward Castro Bennett, city manager for the City of Green River. “This partnership reflects Green River’s commitment to a vibrant, resilient future rooted in stewardship, creativity, and bold collaboration. We’re especially grateful to EDCUtah for introducing Project Photosynthesis to our state and for championing this opportunity from the very beginning.

“Airbuild is an exciting example of what can be accomplished when we listen to community needs and pair private-sector goals with community champions,” said Ryan Starks, executive director of EDCUtah. “By addressing environmental challenges through collaboration with local partners, Airbuild is helping to drive sustainable economic growth in rural Utah. We’re thrilled to see companies like Airbuild helping to shape a more resilient future for Utah.”

Airbuild is a science and energy startup specializing in river bioremediation and sustainable resource recovery. Through partnerships with local governments and canal companies, the company implements systems that extract excess nutrients from waterways to improve water quality and downstream ecosystems. Airbuild transforms harvested algae and local organic waste into biochar, which is then used as fertilizer and sold for carbon credit initiatives delivering both environmental and economic benefits to the communities it serves.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the City of Green River and the EDCUtah team for their vision and leadership in making this project possible,” said David Gory, co-founder and CEO of Airbuild. “This collaboration shows what’s possible when innovation meets community. This deployment will not only remove thousands of tons of carbon and filter millions of gallons of water, it will also transform local organic waste into valuable biochar and create local jobs. This partnership proves that small cities can lead the way in environmental innovation and resilience.”

Jared Stewart, senior business development manager, led Project Photosynthesis for EDCUtah.

EDCUtah Investors: If you were involved with this project and would like to have your organization mentioned, please email connect@edcutah.org and we’ll update this article.