Industrial biotechnology company Lygos, Inc. won the “Bio-Based Chemical Innovation of the Year” award at the inaugural Bio-Based Live conference in San Francisco, California, for its biobased method to produce malonic acid, a versatile chemical used to make products ranging from flavorings in food to ultraviolet radiation-resistant coatings. Lygos uses microbes to produce the malonic acid from sugars that can be derived from non-food, cellulosic biomass. The process is also much cleaner and safer than conventional petroleum-based methods. 

Lygos developed the process and demonstrated pre-pilot-scale production in early 2015 at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit, which receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). In March 2016, Lygos was competitively awarded vouchers through the DOE Small Business Vouchers Pilot to further scale up its patented malonic acid fermentation pathway. 

The “Bio-Based Chemical Innovation of the Year” award is one of only two awards given at Bio-Based Live, which brought together more than 150 bioenergy leaders to focus on the commercialization of bioproducts. 

BETO funds research, development, and demonstration of conversion technologies for sustainable, cost-competitive biofuels and bioproducts from cellulosic biomass. BETO is proud to be connected with Lygos and its award-winning technology.