Genomatica, a San Diego industrial biotech, has spent the past 12 years or more working to take the petroleum part out of the petrochemical industry.
In 2008, for example, Genomatica showed it had bio-engineered E. coli bacteria to digest sugar, oxygen, and other nutrients in a fermentation tank—and produce 1,4-butanediol (BDO), an intermediate chemical used to make skateboard wheels, dashboards, and other resilient plastic materials.
But advancing the processes needed to make bio-based chemicals from renewable feedstocks is one thing—and building a sustainable business on such technology is something else altogether. “Since 2013, it’s been kind of a roller coaster,” Genomatica... Read more »
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