Metabolix is developing proprietary technology that can produce energy from switchgrass, oilseeds, sugarcane and other crops.
Metabolix is the global leader in genetic pathway engineering in switchgrass. Switchgrass is a commercially and ecologically attractive, non-food energy crop that is indigenous to North America and is generally considered to be a leading candidate for cellulose-derived production of ethanol and other biofuels. In 2001, Metabolix was awarded a $15 million Industries of the Future cost-shared grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to help fund the development of a biomass biorefinery based on switchgrass. The goal of this five-year program is to produce bioplastic in green tissue plants and, after polymer extraction, use the residual plant biomass for energy generation. The combined polymer and energy production from a biomass biorefinery would reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil imports for use in materials feedstock and processing.
Metabolix also has a collaboration with the Australian Cooperative Research Centre to do the same genetic pathway engineering in sugarcane for co-production of products. Globally Sugarcane is an established energy crop that is well suited for many tropical regions.
In February of 2008, Metabolix established a strategic research collaboration with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to develop an advanced industrial oilseed crop for co-production of bioplastics along with energy.
Metabolix believes that using various energy crops to co-produce products can offer superior economic value and productivity as compared to single product systems. Metabolix has been working on the biomass biorefinery platform using switchgrass with support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for several years.