World’s First ‘Food and Fuel’ Enabling Technology

Two leading technology companies are joining forces to combat the ‘food versus fuel’ dilemma historically associated with biofuels production. PureVision, an American renewable technology developer, and Microbiogen, an Australian microbiology company, have signed a formal non-exclusive collaboration agreement that will take advantage of PureVision’s unique cellulosic fractionation technology and Microbiogen’s non-genetically modified (non-GM) yeast organism to produce both biofuels and protein products (food and feed) from diverse cellulosic biomass.

By enabling the production of biofuels, food and feed from non-food crops, this revolutionary approach addresses common concerns about the redirection of food crops for the sole production of biofuels. With this new approach, food crops such as corn and wheat can all be utilized for food and feed while the cellulosic portions of the plants can be converted into fuel, food and feed.


“It’s a great fit,” says Ed Lehrburger, founder and President of PureVision Technology, Inc., a Colorado-based biorefining technology development company. “PureVision’s approach has always been to use non-food feedstocks, such as corn stover, bagasse, wood and non-food energy crops, such as switch grass, to produce more sustainable bio-based products. When Microbiogen contacted us to see if we had the capability to grow non-GM yeasts on our liquid fraction to make protein, we were intrigued about the possibilities.”

According to Geoff Bell, Chief Executive Officer of Microbiogen, its non-GM yeasts have performed well in the laboratory using sugars generated from PureVision’s liquid fraction and are now ready to be used in commercial environments. “For over eight years, our company has been developing natural yeast strains that can be used to produce both ethanol and high-quality protein, and we are now in the process of identifying and partnering with a number of companies with complementary technologies to enable us to demonstrate its potential on an industrial scale,” said Mr. Bell. “PureVision’s bio-refinery capability and focus on sustainable fuel production make this collaboration extremely promising. We look forward to working together to advance and perfect our technologies.”

One of the most exciting aspects of the Microbiogen technology is that, for the first time in the field of biofuels, the organism that ferments the sugars to ethanol also has the ability to clean the waste stream generated by the process and, once fermentation is complete, can then be sold as a valuable high protein food by-product. “Essentially, this means that ethanol producers will be able to have their cake and eat it too,” said Mr. Bell. “This is a ‘win win’ for everyone – production of cost-effective biofuels without the loss of food production.”

According to Mr. Lehrburger, preliminary economics look promising for making both biofuels and protein from non-food biomass in commercial biorefineries. “During the last year, our two companies have been intimately working together, and due to promising results, we have completed our collaboration agreement. In 2010, we plan to generate substantial data at the ½-ton/day scale that will give both companies the thrust to advance the combined technologies toward commercial scale,” he said.

World’s First ‘Food and Fuel’ Enabling Technology

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