Agrivida Reports Increased Glucose Yields from Cellulosic Biomass for Fuel and Chemical Production

« BACK

—New Data Presented at Annual American Chemical Society Meeting—

MEDFORD, Mass., March 31, 2011— Agrivida's engineered feedstock and proprietary low temperature, low cost processes release over 80 percent theoretical glucose yield from cellulosic biomass, according to data presented today at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim.

New data presented at the ACS meeting shows that Agrivida's process can provide absolute glucose yields at the same levels as conventional dilute acid processing—using a low cost, less harsh pretreatment—while providing the processing enzymes in the biomass itself. The data also demonstrated that the hydrolysate resulting from the company's proprietary feedstock and processing platform could be directly fermented by yeast and that the enhanced glucose yield translated directly into increased biofuels production.

The company's proprietary intein-modified enzyme-based traits vastly accelerate cell wall degradation following activation post-harvest, and represent a key differentiator for Agrivida's approach. Agrivida's engineered feedstocks—which will include corn cobs and stover, sugarcane bagasse, sorghum, and switchgrass—can provide a ready and sustainable source of cellulose that is not competitive with food production.

Previously, Agrivida had demonstrated its engineered plants could provide higher hydrolysis rates and yields compared to native, non-engineered biomass, which was treated in Agrivida's low cost, low temperature process. While those rates and yields provided significant cost reductions compared to native biomass, the absolute glucose yield was still relatively low compared to conventional dilute acid processing of cellulosic feedstocks.

"These achievements represent major milestones for Agrivida's technology development, and for the overall industry. Based on this data, we are plotting a course whereby cellulosic biofuels and chemicals can economically compete with those produced by starch or sucrose," said Michael Raab, Ph.D., President of Agrivida. "This is a significant step towards providing the lowest-cost cellulosic sugars, one that will also afford commercial scale processing of cellulosic feedstocks."

The abstract describing the Agrivida data, "Engineering Crop Processing Traits for the Production of Cellulosic Biofuels and Chemicals," can be accessed at:
abstracts.acs.org/chem/241nm/program/view.php?obj_id=61719&terms.

The Agrivida presentation can be found at the annual meeting of the ACS, Thursday, March 31, 2011 04:00 PM (Pacific), at the Anaheim Marriott, Grand Ballroom F.