Global Bioenergies adapts its Bio-Isobutene process to sucrose
Global Bioenergies announces that its Bio-isobutene process, first developed with glucose as a resource, is now adapted for the use of sucrose, the main component of sugar cane and sugar beet. The adaptation of the process to sucrose was one the first technical milestones set as part of "IBN-One", the Joint-Venture between Global Bioenergies and Cristal Union. The objective is to build and operate the first full-scale Bio-Isobutene commercial plant to convert sugar beets into 50,000 tonnes bio-isobutene by 2018.
Sugar beet and sugar cane contain a sugar molecule called sucrose, also known as saccharose. Whereas yeasts naturally utilize sucrose, bacteria such as Escherichia coli mainly consume glucose. Global Bioenergies' isobutene process is based on Escherichia coli a platform microorganism for synthetic biology, also known for its industrial robustness. The Company's main focus was to implement an isobutene production pathway into the microbe. It now also develops new biological modules aiming at diversifying the resources compatible with the process.
Global Bioenergies today announces having successfully engineered its isobutene production strain through a synthetic biology approach to utilize sucrose as feedstock.
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