Mascoma Corporation and SunOpta Inc. today announced the sale of SunOpta BioProcess Inc. (SBI) to Mascoma.
The acquisiting brings together SBI’s fiber preparation and pretreatment technology with Mascoma’s consolidated bioprocessing technology to create a company with comprehensive capabilities for converting non-food cellulose (wood chips, energy crops and organic solid waste) into ethanol and high value co-products.
Mascoma CEO Bill Brady says the two companies share a common vision of converting cellulosic biomass to fuel in a low-cost, sustainable way. “The combined company has extensive commercial experience, with the application of our technologies around the world, and the technology breadth to offer a complete biofuels solution. We believe the combination of Mascoma and SBI significantly advances our capabilities in the cellulosic ethanol field and positions us for a successful future.”
Mascoma, through its affiliate Frontier Renewable Resources LLC, is currently developing a commercial scale production facility in Kinross, Michigan. The facility is based on technologies developed in Mascoma’s laboratories in Lebanon, New Hampshire and operating in its 57,000 square foot demonstration facility in Rome, New York. The facility will also incorporate technologies developed by SBI from its pilot operations in Waterdown, Ontario and Brampton, Ontario.