Calysta Explained

Calysta
Type:Private
Industry:Biotechnology
Founder:Josh Silverman
Hq Location City:Menlo Park, California
Hq Location Country:U.S.
Key People:Alan Shaw
Products:Protein for animal and fish feed

Calysta is a multinational biotechnology firm based in San Mateo, California. The company develops industrial processes that utilize microorganisms to convert methane into protein for seafood, livestock feed[1] and other food ingredients.[2] [3] It operates a demonstration plant in Teesside, England,[4] that uses methanotroph bacteria to convert methane into single cell protein[5] currently approved for use in fish and livestock feed in the European Union.[6] The firm is a spinout of DNA 2.0, the largest US-based provider of synthetic genes for industrial and academic use.[7]

History

Calysta was founded in 2012 in Menlo Park, California[8] by Josh Silverman, and is led by CEO Alan Shaw.[9]

By June 2013, the firm began working with NatureWorks to use methane fermentation to produce lactic acid.[10] [11] However, its main technology is based on a similar method developed in the 1980s by Statoil, an unrelated and state-owned energy company in Norway. In 2014, Calysta purchased and further developed the technology for producing animal feed ingredients. Using the ten-million-dollar total funding from investors including Aqua-Spark, Calysta began a study to determine the viability of a mass production facility.[12]

In January 2016, the firm began building its pilot facility in Teesside, England. The center was developed with a supplemental grant of £2.8 million ($3.7 million) from the UK Government.[13] In early 2016, the firm announced it had raised $30 million in funding led by Cargill, an American agribusiness corporation.[14]

The firm's Teesside facility opened in September 2016.[15] The facility is dedicated to the production of the company's chief product, "FeedKind protein."[16] The firm raised an additional $40 million in May 2017 from existing and new investors including Japan's Mitsui & Co. and Singapore's Temasek Holdings.[17] [18] The firm recently completed its first commercial scale production facility in Chongqing, China with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes of product per year.[19]

Operations

Calysta's processes rely on methanotrophs (specifically Methylococcus capsulatus) which naturally convert methane into methanol by the enzyme, methane monooxygenase.[20] Calysta is producing an alternative yet non-genetically modified protein for use in commercial feed.[21] [22] Protein produced from methane is being offered as a substitute or supplement in the farmed fish industry which conventionally employs fishmeal and fish oil as its source of protein.[23]

Currently, the company's manufacturing facilities use natural gas as their source of methane. In addition to its facilities in Europe, the firm's first manufacturing facility in the United States is due to open by 2019.It is expected to produce an estimated 20,000 metric tons per year when operational[24] [25] and 200,000 metric tons per year when at full capacity.

Notes and References

  1. News: Landfill Gas for Dinner? Scientists to Cook Food From Waste. Koh. Ann. 2017-09-26. Bloomberg. 2017-12-14.
  2. News: Biofuels Companies Drop Biomass and Turn to Natural Gas. Bullis. Kevin. 2012-10-30. MIT Technology Review. 2017-12-14. en-US.
  3. News: Can Plastic Be Made Environmentally Friendly?. Lippman. Daniel. 2014-01-29. Scientific American. 2017-12-14. en.
  4. Web site: Methane-based animal feed is more than just hot air. Palmer. Maija. 2017-02-01. Financial Times. 2017-12-14.
  5. EOS, April 2019, page 52
  6. News: Gas guzzlers. 2015-04-25. The Economist. 2017-12-14.
  7. Web site: 2012-10-22. Calysta Energy™ Targets Natural Gas as Advantaged Feedstock for Transportation Fuels and Chemicals - Bio-based News -. 2020-07-08. Bio-based News. en.
  8. News: Ex-Codexis CEO Shaw Forms Gas-Based Biological Feedstock Company. Noel. Andrew. 2012-10-22. Bloomberg. 2017-12-14.
  9. News: Biofuel Pioneer Forsakes Renewables to Make Gas-Fed Fuels. Herndon. Andrew. 2013-05-01. Bloomberg. 2017-12-14.
  10. Web site: NatureWorks, Calysta Energy enter R&D to produce lactic acid via methane fermentation. Protti-Alvarez. Francinia. 2013-06-18. Chemical Week. 2017-12-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20171214074143/https://www.chemweek.com/CW/Document/Unauthorized/52888. 2017-12-14. dead.
  11. McCoy. Michael. 2016-03-14. NatureWorks advances methane-to-lactic acid. C&EN Global Enterprise. en. 94. 11. 15–16. 10.1021/cen-09411-buscon004.
  12. News: Innovation for the Fish Farm. Schatz. Robin D.. 2015-05-26. MIT Technology Review. 2017-12-14. en-US.
  13. Web site: Calysta, a US biotech company, is investing £30m in a fish feed centre. Bridgen. Mike. 2016-01-14. Darlington and Stockton Times. en. 2017-12-14.
  14. News: Methane-eating bacteria could reduce the impact of our big appetite for fish. Helmer. Jodi. 2016-03-17. The Guardian. 2017-12-14. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  15. News: Multi-million pound fish food factory which is creating scores of jobs opens on Teesside. McNeal. Ian. 2016-09-19. Gazette Live. 2017-12-14.
  16. Web site: Calysta has opened £30m Wilton site to make ingredient aimed at reducing salmon farming industry's dependence on fishmeal. Hugill. Steven. 2016-09-21. The Northern Echo. en. 2017-12-14.
  17. Web site: Singapore: Temasek participates in Calysta $40m Series D led by Mitsui. Yap. Shiwen. 2017-05-03. Deal Street Asia. 2017-12-14.
  18. Bomgardner. Melody M.. 2017-05-08. Calysta raises money for fish food. Chemical & Engineering News. 95. 19. 10.
  19. Web site: Calysseo's FeedKind plant opens in China, with demand for premium aquafeed soaring SeafoodSource . 2022-08-19 . www.seafoodsource.com . en.
  20. Thayer. Ann M.. 2013-04-22. Start-ups To Mine Methane Troves. Chemical & Engineering News Archive. en. 91. 16. 20–21. 10.1021/cen-09116-bus1.
  21. News: Cargill's quest for fish food grows, enriching canola in Montana and growing protein in tank. Painter. Kristen Leigh. 2017-01-14. Star Tribune. 2017-12-14.
  22. News: Canada must prepare now for the post-carbon economy. Lierop. Wal Van. 2017-10-08. The Globe and Mail. 2017-12-14.
  23. News: Can Aqua-Spark fund the future of aquaculture?. Gunther. Marc. 2015-03-11. The Guardian. 2017-12-14. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  24. News: Cargill, Calysta to open fish food factory in Memphis. Risher. Wayne. 2016-11-29. The Commercial Appeal. 2017-12-14. en.
  25. News: Lantrip . Patrick . 2017-04-27 . Cargill, Calysta Break Ground on Presidents Island Facility . Memphis Daily News . 2017-12-14.

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