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Athenix, a Research Triangle Park, North Carolina-based maker of processes and products for agricultural and bioenergy applications, has raked in $10 million from existing investors Hunt Ventures, Intersouth Partners and Polaris Venture Partners.
The company sells genes and enzymes that can be used to convert biomass sources, such as corn stover, straw and various agricultural by-products into cellulosic ethanol. It has also developed a process to efficiently extract and ferment sugars from cellulose and hemicellulose, a weaker form of cellulose, into ethanol.
Like other synthetic biology startups, Athenix is genetically engineering microbes to produce hydrocarbon-based fuels. It is working to improve their performance under harsh physical and chemical conditions and is streamlining its biocatalysis and fermentation processes.
It also makes specialty chemicals and additives from plant-based materials for agriculture, construction, water treatment and other industries.
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Technology
We are developing products and processes that replace petroleum-derived carbon resources with plant-derived renewable resources. The resulting biofuels are one of several instruments to reduce global dependence on oil.
Athenix provides genes and enzymes for the bioconversion of biomass, such as corn stover, straw and distillers dried grains (DDG), into biofuels. We have developed processes to release sugars from various biological substrates including corn stover, straws from other crops and industrial by-products like corn fiber and DDG.
Athenix has developed an efficient and biologically compatible process to release sugars from lignocellulosic material for further conversion by fermentation.
Ethanol
Ethanol is an alternative to petroleum-based fuels. Athenix technology can provide solutions to creating ethanol from biomass, such as corn stover. This green ethanol production can provide farmers with additional uses for crops.
Athenix can provide effective methods to break down plant biomass into simple sugars that can be converted into ethanol. Athenix technology can also release simple sugars from cellulose and hemicellulose quickly and efficiently.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel with lower emissions than conventional diesel.
Athenix is developing a stream of hydrocarbons from photosynthetic organisms which can be used as a biologically derived petroleum, such as biodiesel.
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