After rapid integration of NIH-funded Librede technology, company now focused on scaling to commercial quantities and launching new consumer products

BERKELEY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Lygos, Inc., a full-stack provider of sustainable specialty ingredients that deliver high-value performance without environmental toxicity, has announced the successful validation of a novel cannabinoid production pathway using its proprietary fermentation and processing technology. A direct result of the recent Librede acquisition and integration of additional Lygos technology advances, the new fermentation process enables the production of any cannabinoid and cannabinoid-based product of interest in an environmentally safe, sustainable and cost-effective manner at industrial scale (>100 kg) for numerous consumer markets.

Librede, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lygos, had primarily operated on grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) prior to the Lygos acquisition. The company’s technology was designed for the low-cost production of a wide range of valuable cannabinoid compounds that are not easily accessible through traditional agricultural means. The platform supports both ultra-rare and common cannabinoids, such as CBD, that feature compelling performance, economic and environmental advantages over traditional plant-based alternatives.

“Librede’s vision was to create a production platform for any cannabinoid at costs to drive widespread consumer access,” said Jason Poulos, PhD, CEO of Librede. “To advance this vision, we needed the ability to access any compound, scale our technology to levels that support consumer product manufacturing, and form key marketing relationships for existing and emerging markets. We have achieved the first of these objectives, have definitive plans for the second, and are working diligently on the third. We are now very close to advancing the platform to provide direct benefit to consumers.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased at the speed with which the Librede and Lygos teams integrated efforts and technologies despite the global pandemic and shutdowns. These rapid advances have accelerated our timetable for forming partnerships and delivering new cannabinoid-enabled products into the market,” said Eric Steen, PhD, CEO of Lygos. “By delivering high quality, pure and sustainable cannabinoids at commercial volumes and competitive prices, we are poised to rapidly enter high-growth consumer market segments with Lygos branded or co-branded products by capitalizing on the expertise and reach of our strategic partners.”

About Lygos

Lygos has created a full-stack biological engineering platform focused on organic acid specialty ingredients, health & wellness ingredients, including cannabinoids and bio-monomers. Lygos’ sustainable, bio-based chemicals replace expensive, environmentally degrading alternatives from traditional industrial suppliers, enabling customers to create better, safer products with value-added performance. For more information, visit www.lygos.com and follow us @LygosBiotech.

About Librede

Librede is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lygos that focuses on the production of high-value natural products. Librede’s proprietary biochemistry platform allows for the production of natural compounds, particularly cannabinoids, in a highly efficient and sustainable manner. More information can be found at www.librede.com.

Lygos, Librede and the Lygos logo are trademarks of Lygos, Inc. Any other brands may be trademarks of their respective holders.

Contacts

Andrew Noble
(415) 722-2129
andrew_noble@noblecomms.com

IntelliFlux Controls, Inc. announced that Joseph Zuback, who is a leading global expert in water treatment technologies, has joined the company as a member of its Advisory Board. 

Joe is the president of Global Water Advisors, Inc., and has over forty years of water industry experience as a technology and business developer for municipal, industrial, and commercial water technology markets. Prior to the creation of Global Water Advisors in 2009, he served as the Chief Technology Officer and a member of the Executive Management Council at Siemens Water Technologies (previously USFilter).  He is a board member and vice-chair for the Water Environment Research Foundation and named as inventor or co-inventor for over thirty patents.

“Joe is a personal mentor and a thought leader in the water business. Having him as an advisor for our leadership, management, and technology teams is a rare privilege. I consider this as a spectacular milestone for the company.” said Dr. Richard Woodling, the Chief Commercial Officer at IntelliFlux Controls.

PUNE, India & BERKELEY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Praj Industries Ltd. and Lygos, Inc. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to co-develop Lygos’s proprietary yeast for the production of lactic acid. As part of this MOU, Lygos will provide its proprietary yeast platform to Praj for jointly developing into various solutions for commercial applications.

Praj has already developed and offers bacterial fermentation technology to produce lactic acid and downstream products from sugary feedstock. Lactic acid is also used in food and beverages, in cleaning agents as well as in the electronic industry. The global lactic acid market size is estimated at around $1 Bln USD (2019).

Lygos will provide its innovative and high-performance technology, LP1 Ultra™ Yeast Platform and Carbon Sequestration Superhighway™, which is well suited to produce acid compounds.

Praj will assemble other segments of technology backed up by its expertise in process development, optimization, design scale-up and will further integrate lactic acid as a source material in to making Bioplastic, called as Polylactic Acid (PLA).

Demand for PLA acid is ~ 200, 000 tons/year, which is expected to increase substantially in the near future. PLA is an appropriate solution to replace single use plastics and reduce the burden on the waste disposal system. Due to its unique characteristics, PLA offers an improved replacement for many applications. Rising consumer awareness with respect to the need for recyclability, green packaging, and sustainability is driving significant demand globally. Unlike conventional plastic, PLA does not take decades to degrade, and as such, reduces adverse environmental impact.

Pramod Chaudhari, Executive Chairman of Praj, said, “True to its vision to make the world a better place, Praj continues to deploy advanced technologies to produce sustainable products. Our focus over the past three decades on environment, energy and agri-process industry complements global efforts to mitigate climate change and is in tune with global circular bioeconomy. We are happy to work with Lygos to co-develop their advanced yeast platform to produce highly valuable organic acid to offer our customers a better opportunity while supporting rural economy. I am confident that this association will open opportunities for both of us in the global renewable chemicals & materials industry.”

Eric Steen, CEO of Lygos, stated, “We are pleased to partner with Praj and the Praj Matrix team whose deep expertise spans commercialization, engineering, and scale-up, construction and operation of similar industrial processes. This is an exciting time where the world’s demand for sustainable, safe products not produced from toxic petroleum continues to grow. We believe our LP1 Ultra™ platform will complement the Praj team’s goal in the lactic acid marketplace. We look forward to accelerating the technology commercialization through this partnership.”

Both companies will jointly pursue identified commercial opportunities globally to establish a leading position in compostable polymers.

PolyCera is bringing its customers around the globe the most advanced membrane filtration solutions. Our robust UF and NF organic metal membranes deliver the highest quality performance with unrivaled reliability, even under the most challenging applications and at the lowest cost-of-life ownership. Watch what our customers have to say about the powerful capabilities of PolyCera’s Hydro and Titan membrane product lines.

SAFCell, Inc. has completed an eight-month field trial of their remote power system at a Shell Canada well site in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. SAFCell’s system, which runs on industrial methanol, powered a methane emissions sensor from late February until mid-October, thereby demonstrating operability in the field at both low and high ambient temperatures.

Download Press Release here.