Mascoma Corporation announced this month that it has acquired Canadian biochem company
SunOpta BioProcess Inc., and will be combining the two companies' advancements in biofuel processing in a planned facility in Kinross.
SunOpta BioProcess specializes in state-of-the-art fiber preparation and pretreatment technology to be used in producing cellulosic ethanol, which the Kinross plant will produce on a commercial scale. Mascoma, in turn, has efficient, low-cost bioprocessing technology to create the ethanol and other cellulose products on the production end.
Together, the two technologies provide a complete solution to convert non-food cellulose like wood chips, organic solid waste and energy crops into usable ethanol fuel and other products, Mascoma CEO Bill Brady says.
"We believe the combination of Mascoma and SBI significantly advances our capabilities in the cellulosic ethanol field and positions us for a successful future," Brady says.
Another perk of the acquisition is the extensive intellectual property holdings that the two companies combined can boast of; Mascoma and SBI together have the advantage of holding patents on extensive pretreatment and consolidated bioprocessing technologies.
And those technologies will be what makes the Kinross facility, run by
Frontier Renewable Resources, LLC, both highly advanced and highly efficient, contributing to the future of biofuel products right here in the Upper Peninsula.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Bill Brady, Mascoma Corporation
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