American synthetic biology specialist Intrexon has announced that its Industrial Products Division has succeeded in bioconverting methane to farnesene.
Farnesene is a key building block chemical for speciality products, including rub- ber, plastics and cosmetics – for instance, it comprises one half of the emollient squalane. The standard method of creating farnesene from other materials (such as chemicals, lubricants and fuels) usually involves thermocatalytic processes or the use of sugar or plant based feedstocks.
These are all costly options, Intrexon says. In contrast, the company is developing microbial cell lines that have been genetically enhanced to convert methane to compounds with a higher carbon content. The processes also work at ambient temperatures and pressures, which the firm claims significantly reduces expenditure. The cell lines are called methanotrophs – “the only organism in nature that naturally consumes methane” – for which the company claims to have developed an advanced suite of tools to enable rapid manipulation. Natural gas is one of the most economical forms of carbon, is the least costly form of energy other than coal and is highly reduced, leaving no useless residue, according to the firm.
Other players in the farnesene market include Amyris, which makes Biofene from corn stover.