Australian Intellectual Property Office has granted two patents – AU2009265373 and AU2010297362, to Global Bioenergies that protect key steps of its process for converting renewable resources into isobutene.

Each of the granted patents protects one essential enzymatic reaction of the isobutene production pathway constructed by Global Bioenergies. The particularity of this process is that isobutene is directly produced by fermentation. It therefore differs from the only other known competing process which is much more complex as it involves a liquid precursor that must be extracted and then purified before it is finally chemically converted into isobutene.

These granted patents are part of two applications that have now reached the national phase in many more territories including Europe, the United-States, China and Brazil.