Amyris Cranks Up Farnesene In Brazil ...

Biobased chemicals and fuels firm Amyris says its first commercial-scale facility, in Brotas, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, has scaled up production of farnesene to all of its six fermenters. Farnesene, made from sugar, is a hydrocarbon that can be converted to diesel, jet fuel, and chemicals. In a 45-day period, Amyris says, the facility made 264,000 gal of farnesene. Hitting that production level was a condition of receiving a $60 million loan, the firm notes. Located adjacent to a sugarcane mill, the Brotas plant opened in early 2013.