Proterro, Inc., the only biofeedstock company that actually makes sucrose instead of extracting it from crops or deconstructing cellulosic materials, has met key new development milestones.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe scaled up our novel photobioreactor design and conducted independent functionality tests that confirmed the unit\u2019s robustness,\u201d said Proterro CEO Kef Kasdin. \u201cThe modular photobioreactors, which are made from off-the-shelf materials, including polyethylene, can withstand category 1 hurricane winds,\u201d she explained, adding, \u201cBecause of the materials used and the innovative design, we also have been able to validate low fabrication costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kasdin also said that Proterro is in the process of commissioning a pilot plant in Florida and\u2014 with the help of top-ranking U.S. engineering, architectural and management services company Middough Inc.\u2014has completed a preliminary design, layout and associated cost estimate for a demonstration-scale plant.<\/p>\n
Using CO2<\/sub>, sunlight and water, Proterro lowers the cost of sugar production through a novel, scalable biosynthetic process that integrates its patented, highly productive microorganism with its unique, patent-pending photobioreactor. This process yields a fermentation-ready sucrose stream, rather than a mixture of sugars, allowing simple, low-cost downstream processing.<\/p>\n Key features of Proterro\u2019s patent-pending photobioreactor are:<\/p>\n \u201cUnlike typical algae cultivation approaches,\u201d said Kasdin, \u201cwe grow our high-sugar- producing cyanobacteria on a composite fabric substrate enclosed in our photobioreactor, which optimizes the organisms\u2019access to light and surrounds them with their carbon-dioxide feedstock. Water and nutrients are trickled into the photobioreactor, creating a controlled cultivation environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Proterro\u2019s unique sugar-making process removes the price volatility that comes with crop-based feedstocks and eliminates the complex and costly steps required to produce cellulosic sugars derived from biomass. The result is an economically stable, fermentation-ready sugar feedstock for the scalable, affordable production of a variety of commercial scale fuels and chemicals through standard industrial fermentation methods.<\/p>\n\n
Other Proterro News<\/h3>\n