Alternative fuels & chemistry

We depend on fossil fuels for far more than just energy: the great majority of people in developed countries are wearing some fossil fuel, storing their food and drink in fossil fuel and using devices, tools and products made of fossil fuel. Learning to recreate the products we require with new materials made from more CO2-efficient sources, and designed to biodegrade or efficiently recycle, is an exciting and important, new industrial direction.

While biofuels are a short-term churn of CO2, they are still a far more CO2-efficient equation than burning fossil fuels, with the added benefit of providing livelihood for growers. Widespread biofuel production could not only decrease dependence on importing fuels, it could also increase system efficiency through more distributed and less centralized production.

Antenna's alternative fuels experience includes: a nanotechnology coating that contains concentrated, living biocatalysts; algae-based biofuel production; technology that converts natural gas and/or biomass into drop-in fuels; biomimicry-based fish/fuel farming; algae-coal hybrid jet fuel that burns cleaner than natural gas and; small-scale biodiesel processing plants. We're also familiar with a variety of systems for converting waste into energy and reusable materials, with biodegradable plastics and biolubricants.

Directed evolution is a method for rapidly developing biomolecules that are effective as catalysts or agents. The method avoids the potential unintended consequences of modifying an isolated fragment of genetic code. Directed evolution effectively uses nature as a DNA computer, rapidly spinning out options to be selected and cultivated for desired functionality. Antenna has represented biotech companies producing bio-pesticides, safe, nanotech-based agricultural products and food-sanitation processes.