Mission and History

Creating Biobased
Alternatives to Acrylates

Our mission at Ecovia is to commercialize biobased and biodegreadable polymers and derivatives that perform as well or better than synthetic polymers, such as polyacrylates, while helping solve the problem of GHG and microplastic pollution.

We do this by making microbes work for us – via an original and sustainable fermentation process.

The Ecovia Breakthrough:

Unleashing the Promise of Polyglutamic Acid

Since its first lab prototype in 1937, poly – glutamic acid (PGA) has been seen as having a wide range of beneficial uses: as a potential thickening agent for food, as a rheology modifier for cosmetics and personal care, and as a water flocculant, among others. Because it is non-toxic, biodegradable, water- soluble and derived via fermentation of natural feedstocks, PGA is also a more sustainable alternative to current technologies such as synthetic polyacrylates and polyacrylamides.

Wide commercial adoption of PGA has been limited, however, because of its cost. Ecovia has solved that challenge. Our proprietary fermentation technology, which is feedstock-flexible, modulates and optimizes microbial strains to produce PGA-based polymers that are extremely functional and much more affordable. By commercializing this unique bioprocess and chemistry platform, we intend to work with customers to make a wide range of consumer and industrial products perform better – and be better – for the environment.

Our Timeline

2013

Dr. Jeremy Minty, a postdoctoral student at the University of Michigan working with Dr. Xiaoxia “Nina” Lin, designs, constructs and publishes research on a fermentation platform that uses a community of fungus and genetically modified E. coli to efficiently produce biobased polymers from natural feedstocks. Research Article

2014