The US Energy Department just gave Solugen a loan of $214 million to build a Bioforge, a sophisticated piece of green technology capable of producing chemicals in a sustainable manner.
Solugen is a revolutionary company with one main goal, to produce all of life’s essential chemicals in a sustainable manner. It all started with the world’s first truly sustainable chemical plant, the so-called Bioforge.
This revolutionary technology uses sustainable feedstocks such as carbon dioxide, recycled materials, and biomass, together with the power of enzymes to produce valuable products. With the right combination of inputs, the Bioforge is theoretically capable of producing virtually any and every chemical used in manufacturing and processing industries.
They’re developing alternatives for multiple industries. One of them is construction. One product they’re currently working on is Relox, a concrete alternative, which they say “enables lower overall chemical usage, treatment costs, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”
Solugen creates chemicals in a sustainable manner, to the point where the production process not only prevents emissions and toxic chemicals from entering our atmosphere, but is actually carbon negative.
The first Bioforge from Solugen was completed in 2021 in Houston, which required $400 million in funding from big players including GIC, Baillie Gifford, Temasek Holdings, Carbon Direct Capital Management and others. Thanks to this innovation, Solugen was awarded the number two spot on Fast Company’s 2022 list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies.
New 500,000 Sq Ft Bioforge Funded by the US Energy Department
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With over $640 million raised already, the US Energy Department just gave Solugen a loan for $214 million. This loan is earmarked to scale domestic biomanufacturing, which means building more Bioforges in the USA.
Solugen already announced the production of a new Bioforge plant in Marshal, MN, which will take up a staggering 500,000 square feet, and this loan will go a long way in furthering the completion of this new stage of the Solugen project.
The new Bioforge will increase production of bio-based alternatives to chemicals that are traditionally made with oil. Switching from petrochemicals to biologically created chemicals can greatly reduce the environmental impact of chemical production.
The newest Bioforge being built in Minnesota will produce bio-based chemicals for industries including construction, agriculture, wastewater treatment, industrial wastewater and energy.
