Conagen

Conagen

2y

Bedford, Mass., Jan. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Conagen announced the successful scale-up of its sustainable, cost-effective Tyrian purple, a historically coveted and expensive dye found in rare and limited sources in marine nature. Conagen is the world’s first and only biotechnology company commercializing a sustainable Tyrian purple by fermentation. As with any biologically-sourced textile dye, this color-fast compound reduces pollution and carbon footprints when used as an alternative to petrochemically synthesized dyes commonly used in the textiles industry today. Also known as Phoenician purple, royal purple, imperial purple, or imperial dye, this rare dye dates back several millennia to the bronze age when the Phoenicians from Tyre, Lebanon, on the Levantine coast, produced it for the ancient Greeks, Persians, Byzantines, and the Roman empire to clad emperors and kings with luxury textiles. Tyrian purple was once worth more than its weight in gold for its prized deep rich purple. In 301 CE, during the Roman Empire, one pound of Tyrian purple dye was priced at approximately three Troy pounds of gold, roughly $66,000 in today’s currency. Current producers extract and harvest Tyrian purple from the murex shellfish in much the same way as the ancient Phoenicians. Thousands — approximately 10,000 or (54 kilograms (119 lb.) of these predatory sea snails are required to make diminishing quantities of Tyrian purple to produce 1 gram of the dye, making it impracticable......Show more

Conagen

2y

Conagen in Forbes magazine. Discussion on revolutionizing the flavors and fragrance industry through the power of biotechnology and biomanufacturing....Show more

Conagen

2y

Look through the lens of Conagen's fermentation scientist, Victoria Rapela, on what it means to be part of a team that develops synthetic biology methods for #sustainable #ingredients and materials sourced through biotechnology to preserve the future of our environment....Show more

Conagen

2y

Bedford, Mass., (Aug. 1, 2023) – Conagen, the bio-platform innovator and biomanufacturer, and Sumitomo Chemical, Japan’s leading chemical company, have announced to jointly develop p-hydroxystyrene (HS) and its polymer, poly p-hydroxystyrene (PHS), using a combination of biosynthesis, chemosynthesis and polymerization. The monomer and the polymer are 100% renewable carbon, marking a new era of sustainable production. Developing PHS using a combination of biosynthesis, chemosynthesis, and polymerization represents a significant breakthrough in the field of sustainable material production. Efforts to reduce reliance on petroleum and transition towards renewable and sustainable alternatives have gained momentum in recent years. With renewable biomass as the starting material, this joint development between Conagen and Sumitomo Chemical creates an environmentally friendly and cost-effective product. The partnership is in lead position of active global initiatives to reduce petroleum-based products’ consumption and environmental impact. This partnership represents a significant milestone in the development of sustainable materials, and this approach to PHS production is expected to reduce the carbon footprint associated with traditional chemical synthesis methods. It is a crucial step towards more sustainable manufacturing processes with a positive impact....Show more

Conagen

2y

Conagen develops debondable adhesive for textiles and soft materials from natural bioingredients. Bedford, Mass. (June 11, 2023) – When more than 92 million tons of textile waste are landfilled annually, new solutions are needed to enable fabric reworking in manufacturing and recycling on a mass scale. Conagen, the biotechnology innovator, announced the development of a groundbreaking debondable textile adhesive made from high-performance materials sourced from sustainable and natural biomolecules. Conagen’s debondable adhesive offers a major application in the realm of reworkability during clothing production. Traditionally, when mistakes occur during manufacturing, it can lead to material wastage and additional production costs. The reworkability aspect of Conagen’s adhesive presents a game-changing solution for the clothing industry. It allows for quick and efficient correction of errors without the need to discard and waste valuable materials. Adjustments can be made by simply debonding the adhesive and the fabric components can be seamlessly reworked, resulting in improved production efficiency, reduced material waste, and significant cost savings for manufacturers. Moreover, debonding textile fabric plays a vital role in textile recycling by enabling efficient material separation, preserving material quality, expanding recycling opportunities, and advancing the goals of a circular economy....Show more