Biofuels

Our consultants have substantial experience (20+ years) in biofuels and have worked with very important players in the field such as Novozymes, BP Biofuels, Zeachem, PEC (Aventine Renewable Energy), Verenium and Solazyme.

The areas of expertise include but are not limited to the following:

Ethanol from sugarcane, corn and ligno-cellulosic materials.
Other fuels: biodiesel and butanol.
Enzymatic conversion of starting materials (starch and cellulose). Cellulases production.
C5 and C6 yeast metabolic engineering and strain development. Bacterial and fungal strain development. High throughput screening and genomics.
Alternative pathways: acetic acid to ethanol; syngas and CO2 fixation.
Fermentation and enzyme kinetics. Process development. Fermentor design: continuous fed-batch and batch. Membrane bioreactors.
Recovery and purification. Pretreatment. Corn processing: wet and dry milling.
Microbial Fuel Cells and Electrosynthesis.

Bio-based products/Fermentation

We provide substantial expertise in bio-based products based on our experience not only in biofuels but also in other important bio-based industries: Bayer/Hartman & Reimer (Sucromiles), Martek Biosciences (DSM) and Levapan (baker yeast producer). The specific areas where we offer our services include: ethanol, enzymes, chemicals, nutraceuticals, agrochemicals, cell culture, food products such as wine and beer. Our experience includes different type of microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, algae and fungi for both aerobic and anaerobic processes.

The specific areas of expertise include:

Fermentation Technology. Bio-based products/Fermentation
Enzyme Technology and Production.
Bioprocess Development and Scale-up.
Process and kinetic modeling.
Metabolic Engineering.
Fungal, bacterial, yeast and algae strain development and bioprocessing. High throughput screening and genomics.
Plant and animal Cell Culture.
Downstream processing: membrane separations, centrifugation, protein separation and purification, chromatography, precipitation and crystallization.

Some of the specific products and industries are described as follows:

Biochemicals by fermentation: acetone, butanol, isobutanol, isopropanol, organic acids such as acetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid and chemicals (1,3-propanediol).
Nutraceuticals: omega-3 fatty acids, bioactive peptides, probiotics, antioxidants and phytochemicals.
Cell culture: monoclonal antibodies and viral vaccines.
Enzyme production: amylases, cellulases and proteases. Enzymatic processes: milk clotting, starch saccharification, cellulose hydrolysis, bioactive peptides and enzyme membrane bioreactors.

Membrane

We specialize in several membrane technologies:

Microfiltration (MF).
Ultrafiltration (UF).
Nanofiltration (NF).
Reverse osmosis (RO).
Electrodialysis (ED).
Pervaporation (PV).

The industries we serve include: water and wastewater treatment, food and beverages, bio-based products, vegetable oils and pharmaceuticals.

Food & Beverages

Our consultants in these areas also include people with long experience (26+ years) with companies such as Pepsi Co. The consulting areas are as follows:

Wine, brewing, carbonated beverages, fruit juices and natural extracts.
Yeast products: baker yeast, yeast extract and flavor enhancers.
Dairy: cheese making, fermented beverages such as yoghurt, kefir and kumis, protein concentrates from milk and whey and lactose utilization.
Enzyme processes: sugars from starch and cellulose, protein hydrolysis for bioactive peptides and milk protein coagulation.
Vegetable oils refining: from palm, corn and soybeans.
Food process design and development. Product development from raw material to finished product.

Water and wastewater treatment

Water treatment: aeration, filtration, flocculation, sedimentation and disinfection.
Membrane applications: desalination, reverse osmosis and Electrodialysis.
Industrial water treatment: boiler water and cooling water.
Wastewater treatment: aerobic (aerated) and anaerobic treatment, membrane bioreactor applications.

Agrobiologicals

Agro-biological production is creating extraordinary interest worldwide because it is seen as a more environmentally friendly alternative. It also has the potential to reduce costs by reducing fertilizer consumption and improving yields by creating healthier plants. The aforementioned interest has led several international companies such as Bayer, BASF as well as others such as Agricen (USA), Liventia (Mexico) to develop their own product lines. Products include bacteria such as Bacillus, Mycorrhizae and Rhizobium.