The University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) has entered into an agreement with US firm Amyris Biotechnologies Inc to explore business opportunities for jetfuel derived from sugarcane.
“This agreement positions the AIBN at the forefront of research into sustainable fuels of the future,” said AIBN director Professor Peter Gray.
“Sustainable aviation fuel is a global issue with enormous opportunity and the AIBN is please to make this strategic alliance.”
The agreement, which was signed at the San Francisco offices of Amyris on January 20, means AIBN researchers, led by Professor Lars Nielsen, will collaborate on synthetic biology projects with Amyris scientists. The agreement allows Professor Nielsen and his team at AIBN to work in a collaborative fashion with Amyris scientists to develop yeast cells capable of converting sugar (sucrose) into long chain alkanes of use in sustainable jet fuels.
