Synthetic Methodology

Synthetic biology of fine and specialty chemicals for products and intermediates in drug development, agrochemistry, and sustainable bio-manufacturing. Synbiochem uses a Design-Build-Test-Learn (D/B/T/L) pipeline in their chemical production. They design novel enzymes, pathways, and chassis; build multiple pathways in host cassis using automated assembly; test and evaluate these pathways using advanced optimized ultra high-throughput (HTP) screening and analytical methods; and learn methods to inform re-design and optimization. This pipeline allows for rapid prototyping and scalability.

Immobilization matrix for the immobilization of enzymes. Biocatalysts allow reactions with milder and safer conditions, high regioselectivity, and enantioselectivity. Enzyme immobilizations enable the recycling of enzymes, increase process efficiency, and reduce enzyme-removal steps. It also increases selectivity, stability, and activity and restricts enzyme movements, protecting the biocatalysts from harsh conditions. This product immobilizes enzymes on the surface without losing activity, facilitating the purification of the catalyst.

Slicker Recycling, a waste oil collection company, uses Hydrodec's hydrogenation refining technology to re-refine used and contaminated waste oil. This company applies proprietary technology to re-refine used and contaminated waste oil to produce high-quality industrial oils for reuse. The technology removes detectable levels of PCBs from used transformer oil. The high-quality industrial oils produced include emission-free and cost-effective SUPERFINE™ transformer oil and naphthenic base oil. The process is highly efficient, with a recovery rate of 99% and near zero emissions.

Production of natural ingredients through microbial fermentation processes with engineered microbes. This company produces natural ingredients through microbial fermentation with their unique and proprietary engineered microorganisms. Their products include fermented vitamins and plant-derived bioactives. They aim to replace the chemistry and unsustainable agriculture involved in food production with biology. The concentration of active ingredients in natural sources, such as plants, is very low, resulting in a fragile, expensive, and environmentally invasive supply chain.

Renewable source chemistry for the production of biosolvents and fine chemicals. This company's bio-based products have a wide range of applications, such as solvents, catalysts, modifiers, and industrial intermediates. Viridisol M® is their ultra-high-quality 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran brand that increases process yields and selectivity in certain chemical reactions, more specifically, organo-metallic chemistry. This product has low water solubility, eliminating the need for an extraction step with another solvent. It also cleanly separates from water, enabling easy recovery for recycling.

Production of chemical commodities through chemo-enzymatic cascade reactions. These chemo-enzymatic cascade reactions use a combination of chemical and biological catalysts for the production of basic and fine chemicals. They perform screenings of different biocatalysts to find which enzymes work best for each customer and optimize the selected enzyme to maximize sustainability and minimize cost. They also obtain substrates from renewable sources.

 

Bio-based, multipurpose solvent. Cyrene™ is a bio-based solvent that outperforms toxic, petroleum-based solvents. Cyrene™ is a sustainable and superior alternative to toxic solvents such as NMP and DMF. Cyrene™ has been proven to outperform NMP and DMF in 20-30% of applications trialled to date. This solvent is low-toxic, environmentally benign, biodegradable, biocompatible, recyclable, circular, scalable, and bio-based with low water usage and low carbon emissions. During decomposition, there are no harmful NOx and SOx emissions.

Producing phenol from waste nitrous oxide. The adipic acid manufacturing process produces large amounts of nitrous oxide gas as waste. Nitrous oxide gas has high global warming potential and contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer. This process takes waste nitrous oxide gas and reuses it as a reagent in hydroxylating benzene to phenol. This reduces nitrous oxide gas waste and reduces the raw materials involved in phenol production. 

Olefin metathesis catalyst that converts renewable, natural oils into various products. Natural oil metathesis is a technology that transforms plant oils into high-performing, environmentally friendly specialty chemicals. This process uses a highly efficient, selective metathesis catalyst to derive value-added speacilty chemicals and olefins from natural oils. Compared to petrochemicals, this process reduces source pollution, energy consumption, production costs, and capital expenditures. The manufacturing process is low-pressure and low-temperature and can utilize virtually ant plant oil.

Economic production of 100% renewable chemicals and second-generation advanced biofuels from any cellulosic waste stream. This company converts lignocellulose to levulinic acid. The cellulosic waste feedstock consists of woody biomass, municipal solid waste, cellulosic crops, and recycled paper and cardboard. Levulinic acid is versatile and has the potential for downstream derivative production, such as biofuels and renewable chemicals.