News / November 28, 2023
Synonym Awarded Open Philanthropy Funding to Explore Gas Fermentation for Sustainable Food Production
Synonym to conduct comparative techno-economic analysis for single-cell protein production through gas fermentation.
New York, NY - 28th November 2023 - Synonym, the New York-based biomanufacturing firm developing and funding essential infrastructure for the biorevolution, today announces that it has been awarded funding from Open Philanthropy to advance research into gas fermentation for food production.
Open Philanthropy, a grantmaking organization which aims to use its resources to help others as much as it can, is supporting Synonym's work to help the bioeconomy reach its full economic and climate-impact potential. While Open Philanthropy’s interest in gas fermentation as a food production technology is rooted in its resilience to tail-event disruptions in traditional agriculture, Synonym is also eager to examine its potential financial advantages over fermentation processes that leverage plant-based carbon sources like dextrose.
Synonym, with its team of experienced process engineering and capital markets experts, will utilize the funding to conduct comparative techno-economic assessments of single-cell protein production using various gas fermentation techniques. This analysis will encompass a detailed examination of capital expenditures across multiple process designs, as well as overall operating expenditures, covering nutrient media, staffing, utilities, and more.
Crystal Bleecher, Vice President of Engineering, commented: "Synonym has been on a transformative journey towards building more sustainable supply chains of the future. This funding from Open Philanthropy will help us evaluate different adaptable feedstock processes for generating sustainable feed sources at larger scales. We are excited to contribute to Open Philanthropy’s mission to build more secure and resilient global systems, including the food system."
About Synonym
Synonym enables the commercialization and manufacture of bioproducts—accelerating the world’s transition to better, more sustainable materials and products. It believes that products created using biology will represent the next manufacturing revolution, transforming crucial elements of supply chains across multiple sectors and helping to catalyze a decarbonized future. Synonym works as the strategic biomanufacturing partner for companies building these next-generation bioproducts, helping them to expand and scale seamlessly. It has launched two online tools to help companies on their paths toward commercialization as the first step in their scaling journey:
