Myriant Technologies LLC Announces Commercial Milestone For Its Renewable Succinic Acid

Quincy, MA /PRNewswire/ -- Myriant Technologies LLC (Myriant), a privately-held, biotech developer and manufacturer of renewable biochemicals, announced the successful piloting of the company's biobased Succinic Acid process based on renewable feedstocks. The achievement of this important milestone demonstrates the ability to scale the technology and validates its commercial viability.

Myriant's renewable Succinic Acid process is the result of a four year development effort and is derived from the company's proven D(-) Lactic Acid technology, which began commercial production in June 2008. The use of the same versatile technology platform allowed Myriant to considerably reduce the development cycle in the case of Succinic Acid.

"To realize its tremendous potential as a biochemical replacement for petroleum-based chemicals, Succinic Acid must be produced at world scale capacity and in an industrial environment," stated Dr. Cenan Ozmeral, Myriant's Senior Vice President and General Manager. "The successful piloting effort confirms that our Succinic Acid production cost will be competitive with petroleum-based commodity chemicals, such as Maleic Anhydride."

Myriant's next step in the commercialization of Succinic Acid is to produce ton-sized samples for its customers to verify product specifications and quality. "We are excited about the market feedback, especially the demand for large quantities. It shows that our customers are eager for Succinic Acid as an alternative to petroleum-based chemicals," added Dr. Ozmeral.

Succinic Acid has been recognized by both government organizations and the chemical industry as one of the most promising biochemicals that can be produced from renewable feedstocks to replace a wide range of petroleum-based chemicals. Myriant's renewable Succinic Acid offers cost competitive performance, reduced price volatility and a significantly enhanced environmental footprint as compared to petroleum-based alternatives. Given Succinic Acid's versatility, it can be used in a wide range of applications including polymers, solvents, pharmaceuticals, food and pigments. Typical end products that can utilize renewable Succinic Acid include car components, computer and electronic casings, shoe soles and paints.

With a world-renowned team of molecular biologists, engineers and chemists, Myriant utilizes proprietary technology to advance the development of low-cost cellulosic sugars for the sustainable commercialization of high-value specialty chemicals. The company's D(-) lactic acid started production at commercial scale in June 2008 for use in polylactic acid. Myriant is headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts.

SOURCE Myriant Technologies LLC

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