today announced it has successfully fermented

methane into lactic acid,

under a research collaboration with

NatureWorks.


Lactic acid

is the building block for

NatureWorks Ingeo™ lactide intermediates and polymers

used in consumer and industrial products worldwide.


The joint development program,

started in June 2013 between

Calysta and NatureWorks,

is focused on creation of a commercially viable

methane-to-lactic-acid process.


The key aims are providing

a structurally simplified,

lower cost Ingeo production platform and

diversifying NatureWorks’ feedstock portfolio.


Calysta

Alan Shaw, Ph.D., Calysta President and CEO.

“This important milestone was achieved ahead of schedule,

  and demonstrates the capability of Calysta’s proprietary

  Biological Gas-to-Chemicals® synthetic biology platform

  to create new manufacturing pathways

  using methane as an advantaged and sustainable feedstock,”

“Calysta offers NatureWorks innovative biological tools

  to activate a broader array of greenhouse gas feedstocks

  supporting NatureWorks’ commitment to

  feedstock diversification.”


Methane

A greenhouse gas ~20 times more harmful than

carbon dioxide,

methane

is generated by the natural decomposition of plant materials

and is a component of natural gas.


Methane is also generated from

society’s organic wastes and

is produced from such activities as

waste-water treatment,

decomposition within landfills and anaerobic digestion.


If successful, the technology could

directly access carbon from any of these sources.


While the critical lab scale first stage of the project

has confirmed methane conversion to lactic acid,

much additional development work remains.


A full demonstration of commercial feasibility

may require up to five years of development effort.


The companies will share commercialization rights

for select products developed under the agreement.


Calysta, Inc. (www.calysta.com), Menlo Park, CA,

is an innovator in industrial products from

sustainable sources.


Calysta Energy

is developing new

Biological Gas-to-Liquids® and

Biological Gas-to-Chemicals® technologies

using methane, the primary component of natural gas.


The technology allows conversion of

a plentiful energy resource into

high value chemicals and transportation fuels

with cost and performance advantages

over current processes.


Calysta Nutrition

develops and commercializes

fish and livestock nutritional products based on

gas fermentation of methane.

Calysta Nutrition has operations in Stavanger, Norway.