Distinctive Technological Approach
Enabled by recent advances in genetic engineering, Terragia starts with thermophilic microorganisms representative of nature’s best hemicellulose and cellulose fermenters, and develops strains that produce desired products well.
The conventional approach is to start with yeast and other microbes that are good at producing products and engineer them to utilize cellulose and hemicellulose.
A growing body of research suggests that the Terragia approach has substantial advantages and is likely to be the most cost-effective for some important applications.
By taking advantage of the superior feedstock-utilizing capability of thermophiles, we envision biomass processing with no added enzymes and with milling during fermentation (cotreatment) in lieu of thermochemical pretreatment.
C-CBP Radically Different, Inspired by Nature
Distinctive Features
Better biology. Anaerobic thermophiles are much more effective than commercial enzymes
Process consolidation. Fewer steps = lower cost
Cotreatment. Avoids liabilities of pretreatment – inhibitors, yield loss, high carbon intensity, operational challenges
Competitive with fossil fuels & carbon-negative
Compared to the conventional approach
8X shorter payback period
Feasibility at 10X smaller scale
Cost competitive with fossil fuels
Conventional technology featuring thermochemical pretreatment and added fungal cellulase.
Fully developed C-CBP analyzed with NREL coauthors (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2017.03.008)
