LATEST NEWS

Swiss yeast developer gets funding for biofuels

9th May, 2008

Switzerland-based Butalco, a private company developing genetically optimised yeasts for production of second-generation biofuels and biochemicals from lignocellulose, has received its first round of external financing.

The investment in Butalco, from Volkswind of Lower Saxony, Germany, will fund hiring experts to develop the new technologies at an industrial scale.

The company's focus is on developing a process that uses C5 and C6 sugars in the fermentation of ethanol and butanol. Butalco expects the C5 sugars to significantly improve the yield of ethanol from corn, wheat or sugarcane.