Metabolix is developing commercially viable chemicals from biobased sources as opposed to fossil fuels, which produce the vast majority of chemicals today.
Today, four carbon (C4) chemicals are produced from non-renewable, fossil-based hydrocarbons and are used to make spandex fibers, polyurethanes, engineering resins, and personal care products.
Biobased chemicals allow us to address the global market demand for products and processing that reduce fossil energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Metabolix' technical capabilities can be applied to produce a number of important commercial chemicals and chemical intermediates through biological conversion of sustainable feedstocks such as sugars.
In September 2007 Metabolix was awarded $2,000,000 by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop a commercially viable process for producing biobased chemicals from renewable agricultural products. This award will fund our integrated bio-engineered chemicals program, which is beginning development of clean, sustainable solutions for widely used C4 industrial chemicals.