Gevo, a company focused on developing biobutanol technology,  has been awarded two patents. The first is US Patent No. 8,273,565, entitled “Methods of Increasing Dihydroxy Acid Dehydratase Activity to Improve Production of Fuels, Chemicals, and Amino Acids.” The patent covers suppression of a glutaredoxin protein called GRX3. In combination with other Gevo patented technologies, deletion of GRX3 significantly increases the production of isobutanol by yeast cells.

The second patent awarded was U.S. Patent No. 8,283,505, which protects Gevo’s Integrated Fermentation Technology (GIFT). The GIFT system permits the continuous removal of isobutanol as it is formed in the fermentation broth. This increases productivity of the genetically modified yeast cells because yeast does not thrive in high concentrations of isobutanol. The technology also increases final isobutanol concentrations extracted from the fermentation broth.