OPXBIO: Biofuels Digest’s 2014 5-Minute Guide

Company description:

At OPXBIO, we’re in the “Good Chemistry” business, developing and producing bio-based chemicals that deliver more sustainable value for customers compared to traditional petro-based chemicals.

Our patented, leading EDGE (Efficiency Directed Genome Engineering) technology has proven advantages over traditional bioengineering approaches. EDGE enables OPXBIO to more rapidly engineer microbes and develop cost-effective bioprocesses. Our team has the knowledge and skill needed to design and construct highly productive microbial strains, develop efficient fermentation and downstream processes, engineer demonstration and commercial scale manufacturing plants, perform high-quality analytical science and implement enabling information technologies.

We are applying EDGE technology to the development and commercialization of BioAcrylic Acid and Specialty Fatty Acids using sugar feedstock. We are partnering with the Dow Chemical Company on BioAcrylic and Evonik Industries on Specialty Fatty Acid development.

Rankings

50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy: #35, 2013/14
30 Hottest Companies in Renewable Chemicals: #12, 2013/14

Major investors:

Altira Group, Braemar Energy Ventures, DBL Investors, Mohr Davidow Ventures, US Renewables Group, Wolfensohn & Company, L.L.C., and XSeed Capital. OPXBIO was founded in 2007 and employs 65 people at our Boulder, Colorado location.

3 Top Milestones for 2010-13
1. Confirmed market-competitive production cost for BioAcrylic based on pilot scale results
2. Successfully scaled up the fermentation process for 3HP – the key BioAcrylic precursor – to 3000 liters
3. Formed a strategic collaboration with Evonik Industries focused on bioprocesses for specialty fatty acids

3 Major Milestone Goals for 2014-16
1. Complete large scale demonstration of the BioAcrylic process, confirming competitive economics and product performance
2. Complete engineering of the first commercial scale BioAcrylic plant
3. Achieve fatty acid bioprocess development milestones and expand our portfolio of fatty acid development and commercialization partners

Business Model:
The company is focused on developing microbes and bioprocesses that can cost effectively produce bio-based chemicals and fuels. We enter collaborative partnerships with global chemical companies for technology development and also intend to establish strategic partnerships in the form of joint ventures and/or technology licensing for commercialization.

Competitive Edge:
Our competitive edge is EDGE®, our bioengineering technology platform that enables rapid, rational, and robust optimization of microbes and bioprocesses to manufacture bioproducts. These products perform equally to petroleum-based alternatives and offer better sustainability. We also succeed based on the capabilities of our team as well as the power of our strategic and financial partners.

Product: BioAcrylic
Product Description:
BioAcrylic is a renewable form of the industrial chemical, acrylic acid. Traditionally, acrylic acid is produced from propylene, derived from petroleum.

Product Applications:
 Diapers, detergents, paints and adhesives—anywhere acrylic acid is used today. BioAcrylic addresses a $10 billion global market opportunity.

Unique Features


BioAcrylic will match the performance of current petro-acrylic with market competitive economics based on renewable feedstocks.

Feedstocks and bio-based content
Our BioAcrylic process uses sugar derived from corn, sugar cane, or cellulosic feedstocks.

Product: Fatty Acids


Fatty Acids and derivatives represent an existing $40 billion global market opportunity.

Product Applications:
Home, cleaning, and personal care products; industrial fluids; and precursors for bio-based fuels and chemicals.

Unique Features: 
The novel, proprietary bioprocess is capable of producing specialty fatty acids and derivatives with specific carbon chain lengths from both sugar and syngas feedstocks. These products will replace fatty acids derived from natural oils, such as palm and coconut, in existing and new applications. Additionally, these products will enable downstream customers to improve the sustainability indices of their product formulations.

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