Lygos, a sustainable specialty chemical company, and CJ BIO, a global fermentation and biotechnology leader, have announced a partnership to develop a commercial-scale biorefinery complex in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The partnership aims to produce high-performing, sustainable products on a large scale.
The biorefinery complex will utilize infrastructure and capabilities from CJ BIO’s existing site in Fort Dodge, with Lygos developing additional facilities and downstream operations for the production of its products. The complex will use sustainable feedstock to create high-value chemicals and materials.
The partnership is part of CJ BIO’s efforts to expand its precision fermentation CDMO (Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization) business, which aims to bring more bio-based solutions to market. Lygos will benefit from CJ BIO’s expertise in fermentation and biotechnology, while CJ BIO will gain access to Lygos’ advanced biology, chemistry, and application development technologies.
The biorefinery complex will be located at the Crossroads of Global Innovation: an Ag-Industrial campus in Fort Dodge, which is home to several biomanufacturing companies. The location offers 100% renewable electricity, access to sustainable feedstock, and excellent logistics.
The facility will initially produce up to 40,000 MT/yr of Soltellus biodegradable polymers and Ecoteria biobased malonates, with the potential to expand to 100,000 MT/yr.
The partnership also contemplates the expansion of the biorefinery complex to produce biobased aspartic acid and the launch of new biobased and biodegradable materials. This will provide Lygos’ business partners with additional solutions to improve overall performance and meet sustainability objectives.
The biorefinery complex is part of Lygos’ strategy to pioneer a new business model for efficiently bringing sustainable solutions to market. The company is committed to controlling the entire product development process from idea to R&D to commercial delivery, allowing it to accelerate the path to market and expand the scale of its flagship products.
Construction on the biorefinery complex is expected to take 18-24 months after groundbreaking. The facility will play a key role in Lygos’ efforts to bring sustainable solutions to market, offering high-performance products that are biodegradable and water-soluble.
