14. May 2009 by Mykel Pereira.

OPX Biotechnologies,Inc.

2425 55th Street Suite 100
Boulder, CO 80301
Phone: (303) 243-5190
Fax: (303) 243-5193

About

OPX Biotechnologies, Inc. is a Colorado-based bioproducts company using proprietary bioengineering technology to convert renewable feedstocks into biofuels and green chemistry products. The OPX EDGE - Efficiency Directed Genome Engineering - technology platform enables rapid, rational, and robust optimization of microbes and bioprocesses. Compared to petroleum-based alternatives, OPX EDGE bioprocesses deliver equivalent product performance with improved sustainability at lower cost. Using the EDGE platform, OPX has produced multiple biofuel and green chemistry products at laboratory scale from several different renewable feedstocks. OPX is proving its economical bioprocesses at larger scale in advance of a demonstration plant startup in 2011. OPX is located in Boulder, Colorado and is funded by Altira Group LLC, Braemar Energy Ventures, MDV - Mohr Davidow Ventures and X/Seed Capital

Technology

The OPX EDGE™ - Efficiency Directed Genome Engineering - technology platform enables rapid, rational, and robust optimization of microbes and bioprocesses to manufacture bioproducts with equivalent performance and improved sustainability at lower cost compared to petroleum-based alternatives. Using OPX EDGE, they identify the genes that control microbial metabolism and then implement a comprehensive, rational genetic change strategy to simultaneously optimize microbial production pathways and vitality as well as overall bioprocess productivity. OPX EDGE includes a first-of-its-kind, massively parallel, full genome search technology known as SCALEs. The OPX EDGE technology is 1000 to 5000 times faster than conventional genetic engineering methods, meaning OPX creates optimized microbes and bioprocesses within months rather than years. The bottom line - OPX EDGE makes possible biofuels and green chemistry products that have up to 50% lower cost than petroleum-based alternatives.

Posted in Bioplastic Techs, Biomass Techs, Chemistry Techs, Colorado, Biofuel Techs, USA | No Comments »

6. January 2009 by Mykel Pereira.

Luca Technologies Inc.

Golden Office Gillette Office

LUCA Technologies Inc. LUCA Technologies Inc.
500 Corporate Circle PO Box 7070
Suite C Gillette, WY 82717
Golden, Colorado 80401

(303) 534-4344 Phone (307) 686-9488 Phone
(303) 534-1446 Fax (307) 686-9472 Fax
(877) 445-7082 Toll Free
info@lucatechnologies.com email

About
International Energy Agency

LUCA Technologies is developing a novel, long-term, biotechnology-driven solution to rising U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources. Addressing the $150 billion domestic natural gas market, the company is leveraging the ability of naturally occurring microorganisms to convert under-utilized domestic oil, organic-rich shale and coal resources to clean, renewable energy.

The company’s business is characterized by:

* A technology platform based on the discovery, characterization and management of naturally occurring consortia of ancient, anaerobic microorganisms (those that live without oxygen) that metabolize oil, organic-rich shale and coal within the earth into natural gas, thus generating clean renewable energy in a continuous, “real time” fashion. LUCA employs genomics, molecular biology and other tools of biotechnology to detect, classify and study these organisms and the underground “Geobioreactors” in which they act. Company scientists are also developing methods of managing specific consortia’s gas production capabilities in situ for the large-scale production of natural gas and potentially, hydrogen.

* A growing library of coal seam, organic-rich shale and oil field cores from massive hydrocarbon accumulations, each with its own consortia of anaerobic microorganisms for study.

* A management team whose expertise combines a long track record of developing energy resources within the oil and gas industry with scientific expertise in molecular biology, microbiology and biochemistry and their application to renewable energy.

Domestic energy needs in the United States far outstrip today’s readily accessible energy resources, which has forced an ever-increasing dependence on foreign fuels. At the same time, existing U.S. energy resources are significantly underutilized, in part due to the inefficiencies of even the most modern extraction methods employed today. LUCA is developing methods for optimizing the natural gas-producing activity of natural Geobioreactors it identifies, as well as methods of turning other energy resources - such as oil wells that are no longer actively producing - into efficiently functioning Geobioreactors. In doing so, LUCA believes it will open the door to the creation of a new industry with the potential to solve U.S. domestic energy needs long-term, as well as provide a cost-effective, reliable and renewable source of the cleanest burning hydrocarbon fuel.

LUCA is currently working to demonstrate the viability of its technology not only in the laboratory, but also in the real world. The company initially expects to provide consulting services to existing energy producers, helping them to evaluate their current oil, organic-rich shale and gas holdings for the presence of natural Geobioreactors or the potential for Geobioreactor stimulation. LUCA will then leverage the further in situ development of its technology in partnership with those oil and gas producers, and the company may also develop specific sites and Geobioreactor production programs on its own.

Technology

LUCA Technologies has recently discovered that on-going biogenic production of methane (natural gas) is taking place today in a number of large coal fields in the United States. This methane production is the result of indigenous populations of microorganisms that, in the absence of oxygen, metabolize the large hydrocarbon molecules present in coal and oil into smaller hydrocarbons, principally methane. The company describes these naturally occurring methane factories as “Geobioreactors”.

To leverage this discovery, LUCA has undertaken a program to understand and manipulate these microorganisms in order to ultimately maximize methane production in existing Geobioreactors, and hopefully stimulate its production in currently non-reactive hydrocarbon deposits. Methane is the least polluting and most energy efficient of all the available hydrocarbon fuels. LUCA believes that, if developed and managed properly, methane-producing Geobioreactors have the potential to meet U.S. energy needs for the foreseeable future.

Posted in Wyoming, Coal Techs, Chemistry Techs, Colorado, USA | 1 Comment »

8. July 2008 by Mykel Pereira.

Novomer, Inc.

South Hill Business Campus
950 Danby Road
Suite 198
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: 607.330.2321
Fax: 607.330.4813
info@novomer.com

About
Novomer is a new materials company pioneering a family of competitively priced high-performance green plastics, polymers and other chemicals. With proprietary catalytic technology and a world-class scientific team, Novomer’s groundbreaking technology allows carbon dioxide and other renewable materials to be cost-effectively transformed into polymers, plastics and other chemicals for a wide variety of industrial markets.

Other environmentally friendly materials utilize expensive, limited, food feedstocks and costly biological production processes. Novomer uses carbon dioxide as a major input in a competitively priced, precision-quality, chemical process that produces a class of uniform polymers, plastics and other chemicals. Novomer is building the partnerships to turn these exciting materials into environmentally friendly, green materials to extend the power of chemistry beyond the petroleum era.

Technology

Catalysis is Novomer’s scientific engine. It enables the reactions of stable molecules with other molecular building blocks to produce new polymers and fine chemicals. “A catalyst is like a matchmaker who makes a marriage and then can go off and make other marriages,” explains founding scientist Geoff Coates. Although he jokes that their catalyst systems make use of “zinc-based pixie dust,” these patented systems are highly calibrated. They are scalable and tunable. Novomer can target their reaction outcomes precisely and tailor their new materials for desired characteristics.

Their feedstocks are simple, readily abundant, and inexpensive. They concentrate on using CO and CO₂ as carbon feedstocks and have been successful in creating a growing family of new materials.

Their catalysts are highly selective and efficient, and the reactions they accelerate take place at lower temperatures and lower pressures than other catalysts. Their catalytic systems reduce chemical waste, energy requirements, capital investment, and operating costs.

Applications under development include CO₂ co-polymers such as NB-180 and catalysts for epoxide carbonylation.

Product

Novomer is bringing multiple products to market based on their platform of CO2 and CO catalysis technology. As their first commercial product NB-180 utilizes CO2 feedstocks to produce an ultra-performance material for specific high-tech markets.

Through cutting-edge green chemistry initiated at Cornell University, Novomer’s first product NB-180 has been developed specifically for high performance industrial and commercial applications requiring a binder that decomposes rapidly, cleanly and is environmentally friendly.

NB-180 is an amorphous, colorless thermoplastic polymer (polypropylene carbonate) which decomposes into environmentally benign products making it the perfect solution for broad applications in the electronics, brazing and ceramics industries.

Due to a recently-patented catalytic process, NB-180 binders burn more uniformly and at lower temperatures than currently available sacrificial binders. Thus shorter binder burnout times and higher precision results in multiple applications can be achieved simultaneously.

NB-180 also produces extremely low ash residue by burning significantly cleaner than any current binders. Because of this negligible contamination, NB-180 is the preferred sacrificial material in the precise assembly of micro and nano-scale devices. Using NB-180 will decrease residues and defect rates as well as increase precision and strength during sintering processes.

Their highly efficient catalytic systems are tunable so NB-180 can be tailored to specific application needs. In addition, NB-180 dissolves in a variety of solutions in a broad range of viscosities to allow maximum flexibility.

From the start, NB-180 was formulated to be an invaluable tool for the creation of higher quality products at lower costs to meet the changing demands of end customers.

Posted in New York, Chemistry Techs, USA | No Comments »

8. July 2008 by Mykel Pereira.

Amyris Biotechnologies, Inc.

5980 Horton Street, Ste. 350
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 450-0761

About

Amyris Biotechnologies is translating the promise of synthetic biology into solutions for real-world problems. Building on advances in molecular, cell and systems biology, they are engineering microbes capable of producing high-value compounds to address major global health and energy challenges. They are employing these living chemical factories to produce novel pharmaceuticals, renewable fuels, and specialty chemicals.

Amyris Biotechnologies is dedicated to improving the world by leveraging breakthroughs in synthetic biology. Amyris’ technology is able to provide a consistent, cost-effective supply of biofuels and other high-value natural compounds, including pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, and nutraceuticals.

Amyris is currently focused on two major projects:

* The production of the drug artemisinin to fight malaria in developing countries

* The production of renewable biofuels to help reduce global warming

Technology

Amyris uses engineered microbes and rapid enzymatic pathway construction techniques to build microorganisms capable of producing high-value compounds, from renewable biofuels to pharmaceuticals.

Amyris’ platform technology is based on a modular design of metabolic pathways. One example of this approach was developed at the University of California, Berkeley, in the laboratory of Professor Jay Keasling and published in July 2003 in Nature Biotechnology.

Synthetic biology is a new scientific discipline that involves the design and construction of new biological parts or systems, as well as the re-design of existing biological systems, for specific applications. This new discipline takes the knowledge gained from the analysis of existing biological systems and applies it to the construction of new ones.

Amyris is using synthetic biology techniques to build biological solutions to important global problems.  They focus on creating new metabolic pathways in microbes, essentially re-programming them to function as living factories for the environmentally-friendly production of high-value chemicals. Their first project converts a microbe known for its ability to make copious amounts of alcohol, such as yeast, into a chemical factory for a proven anti-malarial drug. Their second project is the development of a fermentation process that uses custom-designed microbes to renewably produce second-generation, high-performance biofuels that are cost-effective and compatible with current automotive and distribution technologies.

Posted in California, Chemistry Techs, USA | No Comments »

8. July 2008 by Mykel Pereira.

Genomatica

5405 Morehouse Drive,
Ste 210
San Diego, CA 92121
858 -824-1771 phone
858-824-1772 fax
info @ genomatica.com
Genomatica is a San Diego-based chemical company that, through biotechnology, develops and commercializes innovative bio-manufacturing processes for the sustainable production of high value chemical products. The company was founded in July 2000 by Christophe Schilling and Bernhard Palsson, two preeminent leaders in bioengineering, and is led by CEO Christopher Gann, a former Dow Chemical senior executive with over 25 years experience.

Genomatica’s robust collection of integrated technologies has been key to establishing the company as the true pioneer in the field of chemical bio-manufacturing. Some of these technologies include:

* Silicon Lab:
o SimPheny: Proprietary award-winning constraint-based metabolic modeling and simulation system
o Metabolic Model Development: The industry’s preeminent collection of predictive models of microbial metabolism and automated systems that facilitate rapid model development.
o OptKnock Strain Design: powerful proprietary algorithms to couple the production of desired chemical products and growth for highly productive, stable biocatalysts.
o Bio-Pathway Predictor: High throughput system for determining all possible biological and chemical transformation routes to a desired chemical product.
o C Flux Analysis: Isotopic labeling analysis and the most accurate computation of internal flux distributions for large scale metabolic networks.
* Wet Lab:
o Enhanced Evolutionary Engineering: Patented adaptive evolution of microbes to allow for rapid self-optimization for process conditions.
o High-Throughput Fermentation: Hundreds of small-scale fermentations per day.

Technology

Genomatica possesses a disruptive, proprietary, integrated suite of computational and experimental technologies to design, create, and refine novel high-producing organisms and bioprocesses. Genomatica is truly forging new ways to transform living cells into producers of valuable chemical products. The bioprocesses enabled by these live organisms offer breakthrough cost advantages; they are developed in significantly reduced timelines, and offer a sustainable substitute for current petroleum-based chemicals. Their development does not rely on serendipity to succeed.

The company selects target chemicals for development and manufacture based on current and expected market size, ease of substitution, partner needs, simplicity of biological pathway, and a host of other proprietary criteria.

Genomatica strives to be the best in the world at:

• Rapidly designing and assessing technical feasibility of producing any chemical via biological systems. We enable bio-manufactured chemical technology.
• Engineering and evolving the highest performing organisms possible with viable alternate feedstocks. We lead the conversion of existing hydrocarbon based chemical production towards bio-manufacturing.
• Enabling carbohydrates to sustainably displace hydrocarbon based feedstocks in chemical manufacturing through process research .

To facilitate this process, Genomatica has developed the world’s most sophisticated fully-integrated metabolic engineering platform, including:

• Computational Modeling & Automated Pathway Design– Proprietary simulation technology and models of metabolism to exhaustively explore design possibilities for our conversion technologies. We have dramatically expedited rational design.
• Evolutionary Engineering – The patented use of models together with adaptive evolution of living cells to enhance properties and characteristics of natural and engineered organisms.
• Integration of Computational and Experimental R&D Processes – Tight coupling of In Silico and Wet Lab workflows through process integration to drive greater throughput, efficiency, and optimization of our R&D process and timelines.

Posted in California, Chemistry Techs, USA | No Comments »

30. June 2008 by Mykel Pereira.

Carbon Sciences, Inc.

50 Castilian Drive, Suite C
Carbon Sciences, Inc.
Santa Barbara CA 93117, USA

tel: (805) 690-9090
fax: (805) 879-9892

About

Carbon Sciences, Inc. is developing a breakthrough technology to transform harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human created sources, such as power plants and industrial factories, into high value, earth-friendly products.
The initial application of their patent-pending technology is targeted at a multi-billion dollar market. They are developing a proprietary process to transform CO2 emissions into a high value chemical compound (PCC), currently used in the manufacture of paper, pharmaceuticals and plastics. Unlike existing methods of production, their process will be carbon neutral, use less energy and result in a lower cost product.

Carbon Sciences’, business strategy is to transform CO2 emissions into various high value products for existing markets. This strategy allows them to achieve business success without waiting for effective governmental legislation limiting CO2 emissions. As CO2 emissions become more heavily regulated in the future, they will be well-positioned to capitalize on other business opportunities in the massive global CO2 mitigation market.

Technology

The Need for a Breakthrough Technology Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. In 2005 there were 25 billion metric tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere. Existing strategies to deal with CO2 emissions include capturing the CO2 and storing them in underground geological formations and the ocean floor. Carbon Sciences believes that these are potentially dangerous solutions. Instead, a simple and safe solution must be applied at the source to transform the carbon dioxide into useful products.  They believe that their patent-pending GreenCarbon Technology can be the solution.
GreenCarbon Advantages Stability over the long term - The production of mineral carbonates insures a permanent fix rather than tempo­rary storage of the CO2, thereby ensuring no legacy issues for future generations; Immense Capacity - Raw materials for binding CO2 exist in vast quantities across the globe in amounts that far exceed even the most optimistic estimates of coal reserves (~10,000 × 10 9 tons); (1) Economic Viability – The sale of value-added products created during the carbonation process has the potential to offset carbon sequestration costs.		GreenCarbon™ Technology Using their patent-pending technology, mineral feedstocks are transformed into a highly stable and useful mineral carbonate product for use industrial products such as building materials, paper, plastics and fertilizers.

Posted in Air Capture Techs, California, Chemistry Techs, USA | No Comments »

1. April 2008 by Mykel Pereira.

Codexis

Codexis, Inc.
200 Penobscot Drive
Redwood City, CA 94063

Tel: 1.650.421.8100
Fax: 1.650.421.8102
Email: info@codexis.com

About

Codexis is a leading developer of biocatalytic chemical processes that can dramatically reduce manufacturing costs across a broad range of industries. Their proprietary technology enables novel solutions for cost-effective, efficient and environmentally sound production of pharmaceuticals, transportation fuels, and industrial chemicals. The focus for Codexis is on improving R&D productivity for our partners while significantly reducing their capital expenditures and cost-of-goods using green chemistry methods.

2007		Codexis Highlights
			Extended Shell biofuels collaboration to broad, 5 year program
			Codexis Laboratories Singapore opened
			Acquisition of BioCatalytics
			Collaboration signed with Merck
			Important research results published in Nature Biotechnology
			Codex™ Biocatalyst Panels Introduced
			Shell collaboration in biofuels
			Direct sale of generic pharmaceutical intermediates begun
			Collaboration signed with Schering-Plough
			U.S. EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award
2005
			Collaborations signed with Bristol-Myers Squibb, Arch
			European expansion with acquisition of Jülich Fine Chemicals, Germany
2004
			Collaborations signed with Pfizer, Teva, Lonza
2003
			Collaborations signed with Sandoz, Cargill
2002
			Codexis incorporated, launches operations

Technology

Codexis evolves enzymes for use in improving chemical manufacturing processes. Enzymes exist throughout nature and some have been used as biocatalysts to enable new, more efficient manufacturing processes, ranging from the manufacture of antibiotics to the production of monomers for use in plastics. Compared with chemical processing methods, enzyme-based methods are often faster, cleaner, and more efficient. Enzymes are highly selective catalysts, creating products of exceptional purity. The difficulty is that it is not always possible to find enzymes in nature that are suited to catalyzing a specific chemical reaction. That’s where Codexis’ proprietary technology comes in.

Green Chemistry

Over the last few years a lot of attention has been paid to Green Chemistry and its potential for helping to protect the environment and support sustainable industrial processes. More recently, it has become evident that in addition to improving the environmental footprint of products and processes, green chemistry can help chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of production. In other words, green chemistry is not only good for the environment, it’s good for business.

Posted in California, Chemistry Techs, Biofuel Techs, USA | No Comments »