Sustainable Bioproducts LLC is a biofuels start-up created from research done at Montana State University. With facilites in both Montana and Chicago IL, the firm is focusing efforts on turning a fungus, discovered in the highly acidic hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, into a sustainable energy source. The fungus, dubbed MK7, not only thrives in the extreme environment of Yellowstone's hot springs, but also eats algae and, when dried, oozes oil. The lipids that are the byproduct are also high in the kind of enzymes that industry often covets for the production of a range of goods. The Department of Energy has estimated that the United States generates 1.3 billion tons of waste a year, a figure that includes wheat straw, corn stover, farm manure, yard leaves, sawdust, and spent grain from brewers. Sustainable Bioproducts has developed a simple scalable process to convert these wastes into valuable lipids (oils) for various industries.
