Mascoma vs Joule Unlimited: Who's the Best?

Background: This is a Sweet Sixteen (third round), Eastern Regional match-up between #3 seed Mascoma and #7 seed Joule Unlimited Technologies, in the 2011 Transformative Technologies tourney, from Biofuels Digest.

Voting: Open to all Biofuels Digest subscribers. Voting links are in the Biofuels Digest daily newsletter. To subscribe (free), visit here.

The winner gets: Most votes advances to the Elite Eight (round of 8), and a shot at the Biofuels Final Four.

The loser: Goes home.

Laurels: Mascoma is the 12th ranked company in the 2010-11 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy poll. Joule is currently #22.

The match-up: It’s consolidated bioprocessing of cellulos, vs solar conversion from sunlight, CO2 and water, a battle of the bleeding edge of synthtic biologies and engineering packages.

Joule took 58 percent of the votes in its first round battle with Dupont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol, and upset #2 seed KiOR 53-47 in the second round. Mascoma took 51 percent of the votes in its first round battle with PetroAlgae, and slipped past Dupont in round two, 52-48.

Mascoma has one of the most pampered, adored, well-financed set of micro-critters in history, chasing consolidated bioprocessing. That’s a bug that both liberates sugars from cellulose, and ferments them, in one-step. Dupont is invested in Dupont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (with BP), and recently acquired Danisco (and its subsidiary Genencor) in a $6B transaction this year.

Joule has been running hot all year – heading for commercialization of its technology as soon as 2012 with a full-scale demonstration.

Deep dive data on Joule

Joule Unlimited Technologies’ complete Hot 50 / Transformative Technologies profile is here.