The new venture now holds exclusive rights and a license under Amyris’s intellectual property to produce and market renewable diesel and jet fuel from Amyris’s renewable farnesene.
Amyris has developed a synthetic biology platform, which uses engineering concepts, to design microbes, primarily yeast, and turn them into living factories to convert plant-sourced sugars into renewable chemical and transportation fuel products, Amyris claims.
The company has developed genetic engineering and screening technologies to modify the way microorganisms process sugar.
The company claims that its trans-ß-farnesene brand Biofene forms the basis for a wide range of products varying from specialty products including cosmetics, perfumes, detergents and industrial lubricants, to transportation fuels such as diesel and jet fuel.
Total and Amyris will jointly develop renewable fuels, which may deliver energy density and engine performance comparable to the best petroleum fuels.
Total’s executive committee member Philippe Boisseau said the joint-venture is a first step towards the commercialization of its renewable diesel and jet fuels.
"We are in the phase of scaling-up the industrial process and we expect to start commercialization within the next few years, once our joint research and development goals are met
"As far as commercialization is concerned, the new joint-venture will benefit from the know-how and customer access of TOTAL, which operates in more than 130 countries and is aiming to become a key supplier in renewable fuels," Boisseau added.
