Green Chemicals Blog
Fermentation
Solugen in the spotlight
Somebody asked me a month ago what information I have on the Texas, USA-based start-up firm Solugen. Unfortunately, I had very little in my archives since I started hearing about the company in early 2019 when it received $13.5 million in financing from investment firms Founders Fund, Fifty Years and Y combinator. The company was … Continue reading
Ginkgo on a buying spree, acquires Zymergen
Synthetic biology company Ginkgo Bioworks announced today that it plans to acquire Zymergen in an all-stock transaction valued at $300 million in market capitalisation. Zymergen stockholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.9179 Ginkgo shares for each Zymergen share, representing 5.25% pro forma ownership of Ginkgo following the transaction. The agreement represents Ginkgo’s largest … Continue reading
Amyris starts fermentation plant in Brazil
I have not covered Amyris as much as I would like to in the past few years as the company is more focused on highly-specialised chemicals compared to the products I typically cover for Tecnon OrbiChem’s monthly Bio-Materials report. However, it is interesting to hear that the company has finally started its new precision fermentation … Continue reading
Amyris launches squalene-based hand sanitizer
I am trying to contain my shopping addiction nowadays with just the occasional hunt for necessities like wearable masks and gloves, disinfecting cleaners and sprays, antibacterial soaps, and hand sanitizers, among other ‘fight COVID-19’ essentials. Thankfully toilet paper, wipes and paper towels are plentiful in my neighbourhood. Yes, I also gave in to buying a … Continue reading
Air Protein Introduces the World’s First Air-Based Food
Happy Thanksgiving to our US readers! I am sure many of you are eagerly waiting for a get-together (and eat!) with friends and family tonight. Speaking of food, some of you might already have heard about various plant-derived meat varieties that finally taste like real meat, and are now available in the consumer world such … Continue reading
Interview with Locus Bio-Energy Solutions
I’ve been introduced last month to Locus Bio-Energy Solutions™ as I interviewed CEO Jonathan Rogers about their bio-based surfactants (mostly glycolipids) for use in the oil and gas market. A more comprehensive article about my interview has just been published this week on Tecnon OrbiChem’s September Biomaterials newsletter. Next week, Locus Bio-Energy is formally opening … Continue reading
US DOE Selects Awardees for Phase I Innovation Projects
I am interested in this news as not only does it gives me hope that the US Department of Energy (DOE) still give grants that not only boost small businesses but these small businesses are focusing on research projects targeting bio-based materials production, processes that lower carbon footprint as well as enabling circular carbon economy … Continue reading
Braskem, Topsoe to build a demo bio-MEG plant
Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate here in the USA! I still have more ‘catching up’ posts and this one has already been announced back in July during the BIO World Congress but I guess the press statement (delivered by our friends from Sustainability Consult) just made it official. Braskem has signed a partnership with … Continue reading
OPXBIO sells fermentation tech to Cargill
UPDATE 5/1/15: OPXBIO stated that it is closing after the transition of its technology and assets to Cargill. A comprehensive article about this is written by Biofuel Digest in this link. I am in the middle of my newsletter deadline when this announcement popped up in my email inbox. Cargill said it has now acquired … Continue reading
HSBC, Virgin Atlantic and LanzaTech in partnership
The UK’s largest bank, HSBC, is joining the collaboration between LanzaTech, Virgin Atlantic, GE and Boeing to convert waste gases captured from industrial steel production to jet fuel via fermentation and chemical conversions. In addition, Virgin Atlantic announced that the team intends to do a demonstration flight within the next year. LanzaTech and Virgin Atlantic have been working … Continue reading