METEX to develop propanediol from biodiesel by-product

METabolic EXplorer (METEX), an industrial biotechnology company, has signed an agreement with the Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP) to accelerate the scale-up of its technology to produce 1.3 propanediol (PDO) from glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production.

PDO is a bulk chemical used in the manufacture of a new class of polyester fibres as well as coatings and plastic films. METEX has developed a range of technologies to design highly efficient bacteria able to produce existing bulk chemicals from a wide range of renewable bio-based feedstocks. The fermentation methods provide sustainable solutions to the chemical industry, offering significant economic and environmental benefits over oil-dependent chemical processes.

‘Our agreement with IFP is one important step to ensure we are developing the most economic industrial process for the bio-production of PDO. This collaboration strengthens METEX’s ability to develop economic bio-based solutions that are real alternatives to the current petrochemical processes,’ Benjamin Gonzalez, CEO of METEX, says.

METEX has developed cell factories for five important bulk chemicals. These products have applications in fibres, biodegradable materials and second generation biofuels.

The company is also involved in the development of biobutanol made directly from starch. This alternative biofuel is produced in a similar method to ethanol.