Patent Office grants Neol Bio a patent on conversion of agricultural residues into oils for industrial use

• The technology MicroBiOil™ allows the production of biofuels and bioproducts from non-food raw materials

Neol Bio, a subsidiary of Neuron Bio, has been granted with the Spanish patent “Production of microbial oils” that describes a method to produce oils from agricultural residues, such as wheat straw or sugarcane bagasse. This new technology is based on the use of its proprietary microorganism Neoleum®.

These oils can be used as raw material for biodiesel and other bioproducts. Both the process and the microorganisms have been developed by Neol Bio in its R&D centers in Granada (Spain) and validated at large scale in demo plants.

Javier Velasco, CEO of Neol Bio, has stated “We are very proud of this new patent grant. According to recent market reports, global demand of oils for non-food applications will increase around 8 times in coming years due to the development of industrial applications (biodiesel, hydrotreated vegetable oils and oleochemical products). This demand won’t be met by current oil crops without affecting feed and food. This is a huge challenge and Neol Bio is one of the companies able to provide added-value alternatives throughout sustainable bioprocesses”