Proterro gets patent for proprietary photobioreactor

Proterro’s unique photobioreactor is robust, modular and made from off-the-shelf materials. It integrates systems for optimizing light, water supply and sugar collection, providing for the cultivation of Proterro’s patent-protected, sugar-producing cyanobacteria and the harvest of a fermentation-ready sucrose stream.

In addition to this latest patent from the USPTO, Proterro has received its first international patent; Mexico Patent No. 310854, which mirrors the U.S. patent issued to Proterro that protects Proterro’s sucrose-producing cyanobacteria (U.S. Patent No. 8,367,379).

Four photobioreactors, which are being developed with ILC Dover, the NASA spacesuit maker that special- izes in advanced fabrics and engineered inflatables, are currently deployed at the company’s pilot plant in Orlando, Florida.

About Proterro

Proterro is the only biofeedstock company that makes sucrose instead of extracting it from crops or deconstructing cellulosic materials. Proterro has developed a patented sugar-making process using CO₂, sunlight and water, and integrating patented transgenic sugar-producing cyanobacteria with a patented photobioreactor for cultivating those microorganisms. The process yields a fermentation-ready sucrose stream, removing the price volatility that comes with crop-based feedstock and eliminating the complex and costly steps required to produce cellulosic sugars derived from biomass. Proterro is leveraging its core intellectual property to create a 70+ patent portfolio. Biofuels Digest named Proterro CEO Kef Kasdin among the top 100 people in the bioeconomy for 2013-14.