Mascoma: Biofuels Digest’s 5-Minute Guide

October 25, 2012 |

Address:
67 Etna Road, Suite 300, Lebanon, NH 03766

Year founded: 2005

Technology:
Consolidated Bio-Processing

Fuel type:
Ethanol

Major investors:
Flagship Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Atlas Venture, General Catalyst Partners, Blue Sugarsiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, VantagePoint Venture Partners, General Motors, Marathon Oil

Past milestones:
First demonstration of CBP technology
Opening of demonstration facility in Rome, NY
Funding from the State of Michigan for commercial ethanol production facility
launched MGT yeast, first commercial product
Moved into the bid review stage for Kinross plant
Mascoma and Lallemand Ethanol Technology entered into a commercial agreement with Pacific Ethanol for MGT Yeast

Future milestones:
Breaking ground on Michigan commercial production facility
Completing next round of funding

Business model:
Owner / Partner

Competitive edge:
The unique technology developed by Mascoma Corporation uses yeast and bacteria that are engineered to produce large quantities of the enzymes necessary to break down the cellulose and ferment the resulting sugars into ethanol. Combining these two steps (enzymatic digestion and fermentation) significantly reduces costs by eliminating the need for enzyme produced in a separate refinery. This process, called Consolidated Bioprocessing or “CBP”, will ultimately enable the conversion of the solar energy contained in plants to ethanol in just a few days.

Alliances and Partnerships:
GM, Chevron, Marathon Oil, US DOE, State of NY, State of Michigan

Development stage:
Demonstration

Company Website:

Category: 5-Minute Guide

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