Scaling up biobased chemicals made from ethanol
At this year's Bio Innovations Midwest in Omaha on September 24-25, 2024, Noah Helman, Founder & CEO of iMicrobes, shared exciting insights into how ethanol—familiar to everyone as a fuel and ingredient in beer—can also be the best renewable feedstock for chemical production.
Check out the video and presentation’s highlights below.
In a world increasingly focused on sustainability, cost-competitive, zero-emissions solutions are key to achieving broad adoption. During his presentation, Noah outlined how Industrial Microbes is transforming ethanol, a renewable resource, into chemicals used in everyday products and how the company is focusing on making biobased zero-emission molecules that are cost-competitive with their fossil fuel alternatives.
Breaking down the cost barriers
Acrylic acid is a highly versatile chemical used in products ranging from superabsorbent polymers in diapers to paints, coatings, and cosmetics. However, the current biobased production approaches are costly, hindering widespread adoption. Industrial Microbes’ solution aims to produce acrylic acid at 20% lower cost than the traditional petrochemical process, making biobased acrylic acid a viable alternative for industries ready to adopt sustainable materials.
Carbon-negative potential
The environmental impact is equally compelling. Industrial Microbes’ use of ethanol could reduce carbon emissions by at least 75%, when compared to today’s petrochemical process. By sourcing ethanol from waste streams and integrating advanced production methods, the team envisions a future where chemical production contributes to net-zero and even carbon-negative goals.