New high-value uses for glycerine among trends at BIO annual congress on industrial biotechnology and bioprocessing; algae webinar podcast
The BIO annual congress on industrial biotechnology and bioprocessing concluded yesterday in Montreal, and the Digest will be running a series of reports based on presentations and interviews with several dozen renewable energy companies making announcements and providing commercialization path updates this week.
One trend that came up repeatedly in interviews was a renewed focus on finding new high-value uses for glycerine, the primary by-product of transesterication process that produces biodiesel. At one time it was a commodity that was worth about 50 cents a pound. Then, a surge in biodiesel production in the mid 2000s made low-grade glycerine a worthless commodity (though food-grade glycerine kept its value), and in some cases biodiesel plants were paying companies to haul it away.
Low-grade glycerine was used as a feedstock and for animal feed, but the thin demand was simply swamped by the supply.
But a new generation of companies like GlycosBio and Integrated Genomics have found a new use for glycerine, as an intermediate that can be converted to a variety of biochemicals that are worth more than biodiesel itself. While most advanced biofuels companies are working on cheap sugars and next-generation fuels, these companies are taking their proprietary microbes back to first-generation ethanol and biodiesel plants where they can add value to the feedstock with renewable chemicals made from biomass.
They can convert the glycerine in a bushel of energy crops, ultimately, into bioplastics and other exotic green chemicals that may yet resurrect the valuations of idled first-generation bioenergy plants around the globe.
GlycosBio is a pioneer in molecular biology and microbial engineering, focused on scientifically developing microorganisms that make high-value biochemicals and biofuels for partner biorefineries. GlycosBio’s microbial strains produce a variety of high margin biochemicals from a diverse set of feedstocks and co-product streams that are traditionally considered waste or low value. Convertible feedstocks include a wide range of cellulosics, thin stillage from ethanol, algae, biodiesel glycerin, and other renewable feedstocks that traditionally have a very low financial value.
“Key drivers for us are underutilized or undervalued generation 1 plants,” said GlycosBio chairman Rich Cilento, “within the global market place and matching those assets with local low value feedstock options, as well preferred localized bioproducts – preferably closely integrated with the traditional petrochemical markets, as we produce 100% replacement chemicals that will be used in traditional petrochem plants. We believe that the wining strategy requires a number of biological platforms / IP, to address the diversity in low value feedstock choices, as well partner interest in biochemicals or fuels.”
GlycosBio partners with chemical companies, biorefineries, biofuels producers and biorefinery manufacturing organizations to convert co-product streams that are readily available in the existing fuels and chemical infrastructure. Partner biorefineries can increase product value from 10x-15x by turning these co-product or waste streams into intermediate chemicals.
Using a 50 Mgy biodiesel plant as a base for comparison, GlycosBio said that, with an investment of $5-$7 million, the company will be able to deliver 30-40 million pounds of renewable chemicals from glycerine, with a value of 80 and 90 cents perpound, adding $10-$18 million to EBITDA. The early-stage metabolic engineering company, which closed a $5 million series A investment round led by DFJ Mercury last April, said that it will be up to 250 liters per run by September and said that it expects to have its first-commercial-scale partnership with an international company announced in the next 30 to 45 days. The company expects to commercialize outside of the US as a first step.
Integrated Genomics, which also has a process supporting conversion of glycerine to renewable chemicals, is primarily a contract research organization (CRO), providing microbial genomics, biochemistry and gene expression services. IG’s web-based genome analysis platform is known as ERGO.
IG’s CEO Jonathan Sheridan commented: “The overall goal of Integrated Genomics’ glycerol bioconversion strategy is directed at utilizing surplus glycerol from a biodiesel manufacturing process in order to convert it to other value-added chemicals. Frequently, biodiesel manufacturers discard the glycerol generated as a waste by-product, incurring transportation charges in the process.
“Integrated Genomics’ (IG) approach is to develop microbes capable of growing and utilizing the glycerol directly from a biodiesel manufacturing waste-stream. Specifically, IG has developed IP associated with genetically selected bacteria designed to relieve some of the metabolic ‘bottlenecks’ for import and conversion of the glycerol. This technology is based around glycerol-resistant microbial cells with a glycerol transporter technology to increase glycerol flux into the cell as well as improving glycerol metabolism enabling more efficient transformation to high value compounds.
“The recycling of a waste-stream to produce more valuable chemicals provides the added advantage of making biodiesel, in this instance, more competitive against petroleum diesel as well as providing an environmentally friendly alternative to current manufacturing practices.”
Renewable oils developer Solazyme also expressed interest in using glycerine as a feedstock for its process, which feeds waste materials and sugars to algae, and extracts oils from algae. Solazyme re-confirmed that it expects to reach commercial parity with $70 fossil oils within 2-3 years, and also confirmed that it is in advanced discussions with a number of food companies interested in utilizing Solazyme oils in food products. Solazyme CTO Harrison Dillon said that, while most forms of algae “taste awful”, the company has identified several strains that work well as food oils, and commented that they are focusing on strains at the moment that “taste like raw bread dough”.
Meanwhile, BIO also conducted a webinar on the uses of algae in Biotechnology, which is available here.
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