The chemical industry is responsible for producing 95% of all manufactured goods that we interact with on a daily basis. However, the industry’s dependence on fossil fuels to produce these goods comes at a steep environmental cost, accounting for 6% of total global carbon emissions. While manufacturing industries face growing pressure to decarbonize, they are constrained by a lack of scalable and cost-effective alternatives to petroleum-based chemical production.

C1 Bio is developing a novel bioprocess that uses waste gases such as CO2 as feedstocks, effectively reducing emissions and offering a new paradigm for chemical production from domestic and low-cost inputs. Our bioproduction platform harnesses the power of waste-upgrading bacteria to convert industrial waste streams into high-value chemicals used in electronics and advanced materials.

Biological upcycling is not new. However, current bioprocesses are severely limited. The microbes used in competitors’ technologies are highly sensitive to feedstock impurities and difficult to genetically modify, which restricts both the types of waste they can handle and the kinds of chemicals they can produce.

That’s where our approach diverges. We’re developing state-of-the-art genetic tools and computational models to unlock the potential of a unique class of bacteria that are naturally resilient to toxic contaminants and capable of thriving on a broad range of abundant and low cost feedstocks. Additionally, C1 Bio is focusing on producing high-value aromatic compounds – a class of chemicals previously inaccessible via gas fermentation with diverse applications in electronics, materials, and pharmaceuticals.

C1 Bio’s technology is driving forward a circular value chain for chemicals, where industrial waste is turned into economic and environmental value.