Solugen has secured a conditional commitment for a $213.6 million loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programmes Office. This will be used to support the construction of the company’s Bioforge Marshall facility in Marshall, Minnesota, on which it broke ground in April.

Afyren Neoxy has opened its first large-scale biorefinery at Carling Saint-Avold in north-eastern France on time and within budget. Construction began in December 2020 and commissioning took place in June.

The plant uses fermentation technology based on natural microorganisms, followed by extraction and purification steps to make seven 100% biobased organic acids from sugar beet. This is sourced in the immediate region, where it is a common crop.

A registration statement has been filed with the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) concerning the previously announced merger of two North American biotechs, Lygos and Flexible Solutions International (FSI). The two announced a definitive merger agreement in April to form “a leading sustainable specialty ingredient company for agricultural, industrial, and consumer applications”.