Proterro gets US patent for noncellulosic sugar-making process

Dec 10, 2013 - Proterro Inc, the US firm that makes sugars using only cyanobacteria, water, carbon dioxide and sunlight, said Monday it had secured a US patent for its whole biosynthetic sugar-making process.

The latest patent No 8,597,914 protects the process that combines transgenic sugar-producing microorganisms with a modular photobioreactor made from off-the-shelf materials to produce a fermentation-ready sucrose stream. That sugar feedstock can later be used in the commercial-scale production of biofuels and chemicals. Proterro noted that by yielding the fermentation-ready sucrose stream, instead of a mixture of sugars, its method simplifies downstream processes and reduces costs.

The company has also applied for a patent for its photobioreactor. It already owns patent No 8,367,379 that protects the genetic blueprint of the cyanobacteria it uses.

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