Green Biologics: Biofuels Digest’s 2014 5-Minute Guide

Green Biologics is focused on the production of renewable n-butanol and other C4 chemicals from various renewable feedstocks, including sugar (cane, molasses, beets), starch (corn) and cellulosic biomass (corn residues, sugar cane bagasse, forest materials and grasses).

GBL works with feedstock partners to deliver capital efficient production models, and we work with downstream partners to deliver high quality, competitively priced products for the global renewable chemicals and biofuels markets.

Technology:

GBL has a broad technology platform that is unique, highly differentiated and world leading. We have demonstrated significant improvements in fermentation performance and we have the skills to deliver further improvements in strain and fermentation process performance for ABE and other renewable chemicals.

The GBL technical program focuses on the production of low cost, high quality chemicals around a C4 platform. Leveraging a leadership position in Clostridia microbiology, biochemistry and fermentation, GBL develops microbes and processes that utilize sustainable and diverse feedstocks to produce a portfolio of valuable chemicals and future biofuels. While maximizing performance GBL focuses on minimizing environmental impact.

Clostridia are highly suited to commercial use for the production of industrial chemicals. Proven commercially for a century, they are robust, solvent tolerant and can utilize a variety of feedstocks and sugars including C5 and C6 monomers, dimers and some polymers. Most importantly more of the energy provided (in the form of sugars) is recovered in the form of usable products (solvents and energy) than is the case for most commercially utilized organisms, such as yeast.

Model:

Systems licensor

The Situation:

In December 2013, Green Biologics announced the closing of a $25 million Series B round led by Sofinnova Partners with strategic participation by Swire Pacific Limited. Follow on investments were also made by Capricorn Venture Partners, Oxford Capital Partners, Morningside Ventures and ConvergInce Holdings LLC.

“This investment round underlines the strength of Green Biologics’ commercial and technical position, and will allow us to execute our plan to bring on stream our first commercial production facility in the U.S. in 2016, ” said Green Biologics CEO Sean Sutcliffe.

“Sofinnova looked long and hard in the market,” noted Sutcliffe, “and Swire is very strong in Asia, and has the stake in Cathay who are looking for biofuels potentials for the long term. There are a lot of linkages – agribusiness, and major sugar – a range of interests there. Sofinnova and Swire have seen the progress, and we’re delighted that they like what they see. Obviously its a long-term partnership in the making and they share our vision in building this company and this market.”

Past Milestones:

In December 2013, an asset purchase agreement was executed and approved by Central MN Ethanol Co-op shareholders. The aim is to retrofit the 23 Mgy plant to produce renewable n-butanol and acetone in 2016.

In July 2013, Green Biologics announced a collaboration and planned investment in facilities with Iowa’s Easy Energy Systems. The collaboration will result in the modification of Easy Energy’s ethanol demonstration plant in Emmetsburg, IA to produce renewable n-butanol and acetone. In mid-2012 GBL successfully produced butanol and acetone from corn mash at the Emmetsburg facility in Iowa at a 40,000 liter fermentation scale.

In March 2013, Green Biologics was awarded grant funding from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the UK’s innovation agency, to engineer a novel bacterial host for biobutanol production. The project is in collaboration with the Clostrida Research Group (CRG) at the University of Nottingham which are funded by the Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The total project costs are £492k made up from contributions by Green Biologics (£62k), TSB (£185k) and BBSRC (£245k). the project duration is 18 months and due to commence on 1st May 2013. The strategy focuses on the modification of a clostridia species (Clostridium pasteurianum) for the fast growing renewable chemicals market. The deliverable will be a novel engineered strain C. pasteurianum that ferments starch to butanol in high yield.

In January 2012, Green Biologics Limited announced the merger between GBL and butylfuel Inc., a US-based renewable chemicals and biofuels company. The new company will operate under the Green Biologics name and continue to be head-quartered in Abingdon, UK with a strong operational presence and commercial focus in the US contributed by butylfuel Inc., which will become Green Biologics, Inc. The merged GBL aims to be a globally managed company focused on the production of C4 chemicals and advanced fuels from renewable feedstocks, primarily from waste and by-product agricultural sources.

Future Milestones:

Retrofit and opening of CMEC plant in Minnesota.

Follow-on commercial deployments.

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