SunEthanol Inc., a biofuels technology company, has secured funding to commercialize the Q Microbe, a unique natural bacteria capable of converting cellulose into ethanol.
Series A financing for developing patent-pending cellulosic ethanol technology around the Q microbe has been provided by VeraSun Energy, Battery Ventures, Long River Ventures and AST Capital. SunEthanol’s Q Microbe technology, licensed from the University of Massachusetts, has the potential to make the production of ethanol from cellulose economically competitive.
"We are harnessing the power of a naturally occurring microbe in order to convert various forms of biomass into fuel," said SunEthanol CEO Jef Sharp. "In addition to funding the growth of the company, I am very encouraged by the synergies that result from this round of financing. It will enable us to accelerate the commercialization of our novel technology."
SunEthanol’s Q Microbe represents true consolidated bio-processing (CBP), a technology that consolidates multiple steps into a single efficient and natural process, potentially resulting in a lower cost of production and the ability to convert various forms of biomass into ethanol. It was discovered by University of Massachusetts professor of microbiology, Dr. Susan Leschine in the soil of New England, near the Quabbin Reservoir, and is being developed for cellulosic ethanol production by Dr. Leschine and the SunEthanol lab team. Dr. Leschine serves as a senior advisor to SunEthanol.
The team believes that the Q Microbe’s CBP process can be used with a wide variety of plentiful biomass feedstocks including: switchgrass, corn stover, wheat straw, sugar cane bagasse, and wood pulp. It can potentially be used in all parts of the world where biomass is plentiful.
"Commercializing cellulosic ethanol is an important component in reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions," said Bill Honnef, VeraSun senior vice president. "SunEthanol is developing technology which we believe has the ability to be at the forefront of commercial scale cellulosic ethanol production."
"We have looked at a number of cellulosic ethanol technologies, and are thrilled to make this investment in a potentially game-changing technology," said Jason Matlof, partner at Battery Ventures. "The development of a CBP solution has long been the goal of the biofuels industry, and SunEthanol has proven that their microbiological process has unique capabilities to meet the industry’s objectives. This funding will give them the support needed to increase the performance and scale of their technology as they work toward bringing it to market."
"University of Massachusetts faculty are among the most talented researchers in the world. We work hard to engender an academic environment that helps professors convert revolutionary discoveries to solutions to real-world problems and bring them to market," said Jack M. Wilson, president of the University of Massachusetts. "Spinning off new companies like SunEthanol is a win-win for the University and our state and nation’s economy–our professors and students are involved in basic and translational research that allows the University to foster new technologies, new companies and new biomass jobs."
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