Continuous fermentation bioprocess resolving food waste issues from Greek yogurt production

Capro-X is a sustainable biotechnology company focused on commercializing a patent-pending fermentation process, called the WheyAway system. The WheyAway introduces a solution for the dairy industry to upgrade processing waste streams from cheese and yogurt production into sustainable biochemicals, which we call bio-oil. Capro-X is currently focused on solving a key waste problem experienced by the entire Greek yogurt industry, where 3x more waste is produced than actual product. This waste, called acid whey, is expensively and unsustainably handled, and results in 300,000 gallons of fuel burned and 30,000 tons of GHGs being emitted annually in the US. The bio-oil produced by the WheyAway are direct replacements for medium chain carboxylic acids sourced from palm oil; the yielded bio-oil from 10% of the acid whey in NY state would eliminate the need for 5,000 acres of plantations. Today, Capro-X’s bio-oils are traded as commodity specialty chemicals, largely utilized by the flavor and fragrance industry, and they are considered platform chemicals that are upgradeable to other specialty chemicals, as well as biofuel additives for diesel and jet fuel. In total, Capro-X will lower Greek yogurt customers expense and headache by providing WheyAways through treatment-as-aservice (TaaS) contracts. With TaaS contracts, Capro-X will handle acid whey from cradle-to-grave, and provide Greek yogurt customers with savings by returning earnings from bio-oil sales.The work Capro-X outlined in this EPA proposal will focus on laboratory proof-of-concept research to evaluate a novel high-rate reactor architecture to implement in a scale-up system in late 2020, test new sustainable chemistry to increase bio-oil extraction rates, and assess the impact of sugar mixed into acid whey. These are expected to increase Capro-X’s market opportunity by expanding the amenable waste streams for the WheyAway and increase bio-oil production rates