Amyris Inc. and Total have formed Total Amyris BioSolutions, a 50-50 joint venture that will produce and market renewable diesel and jet fuel.
‘We are in the phase of scaling-up the industrial process, and we expect to start commercialization within the next few years, once our joint research and development goals are met,’ says Philippe Boisseau, president, marketing and services and new energies.
Amyris has developed microbial engineering and screening technologies that modify the way microorganisms process sugars. The company is using this industrial synthetic biology platform to design microbes and use them as ‘living factories’ in fermentation processes to convert plant-sourced sugars into renewable chemical and transportation fuel products. Amyris operates laboratories and a pilot plant in California, as well as
an industrial-scale facility in Brazil.
Total has been an investor in and strategic partner for Amyris for the last three years.
