World First: A DEINOVE Bacteria Transforms Biomass Into 2nd Generation Bioethanol

This breakthrough using Deinococcus could be the solution to a global issue: replacing fossil fuel with a fuel from nonfood biomass

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Deinove

Sep 13, 2012, 08:00 ET

PARIS, September 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

DEINOVE (Alternext Paris: ALDEI) announced that its R&D team and its partners in the DEINOL program isolated and optimized a strain of Deinococcus bacteria able to generate ethanol from wheat-based biomass. With production of an alcohol content of more than 3%, DEINOL exceeded its goal for this proof of concept milestone.

DEINOVE's Deinococcus bacteria can degrade complex biomass residues into simple sugars and convert them into ethanol, all in a single process and without additives (such as enzymes, yeast or antibiotics).

This successful milestone triggers the payment of 1.15 million Euros to DEINOVE by the French ministry of industry (OSEO, ISI - Industrial Strategic Innovation - program).

While bioethanol production is currently limited to food biomass and utilizes archaic methods based on multiple stage and fermentation using yeast, this "all-in-one" bacterial factory, developed by DEINOVE, should make possible the use of non-food biomass (agricultural waste, plant biomass...) using more efficient, cost-effective and cleaner processes.

"Our results confirm the value of the DEINOVE technology for transforming biomass into biofuels and industrial products. Deinove's teams and our partners are proud of this breakthrough. Deinococcus can degrade more than 80% of the plant biomass but can also potentially produce industrial quantities of bioethanol", stated Deinove's CEO Jacques Biton. He added: "We are now entering the pre-industrial phase of the DEINOL project."

"Second generation bioethanol is everyone's goalthat is still waiting for its manufacturing standard", pointed out Philippe Pouletty, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of DEINOVE. "DEINOL's results show that DEINOVE and its first industrial partner TEREOS are at the forefront of this global race for a bioethanol manufacturing standard, vital for the future of our planet."

About DEINOVE

DEINOVE (Alternext Paris: Aldei) is a green biotechnology company that designs and develops new production systems based on bacteria with untapped potential: Deinococci. Based on their unique genetic properties and unusual sturdiness, DEINOVE optimizes the metabolic capabilities of these natural "mini-factories" to produce a "virtually unlimited" palette of compounds: 2^nd generation biofuels, green chemicals, new antibiotics...

http://www.deinove.com/en/

SOURCE Deinove