INDUSTRIAL MICROBES INC — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.8

Description

Disposal of manure is challenging for large farms, and manure decomposition causes greenhouse gas emissions. Anaerobic digestion is a great technology that can convert manure into biogas, but most farms in America do not use this process because it gets rid of waste but does not produce anything valuable. Industrial Microbes is developing a new method to upgrade manure biogas into valuablebiobased products, which will make it more lucrative to operate anaerobic digestors. Our innovation is an engineered microbe that converts biogas into a valuable amino acid essential for proper animal nutrition.The Industrial Microbes fermentation system will reduceharmful greenhouse gas emissions and createsignifcant revenue for farmers because it can produce chemicals that are 10-20 timesmore valuable than biogas. The result of our Phase I research will be an engineered microbe with the ability to produce a high-value amino acid from biogas. If we are successful, we will work toward developing a commercial process forlarge farms that can turn their waste into profit.