The John Sime Award recognizes the most innovative technology presented at the event. The award is dedicated to John Sime, who played a pivotal role in the early development of the European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology.
MetGen has been established in 2008 by Alex Michine, CEO and Professor Alex Azhayev, CSO and professor of bioorganic chemistry at the University of Eastern Finland (Kuopio, Finland). MetGen’s enzymes are industrial, highly-active, natural catalysts that accelerate chemical reactions. They can survive in harsh industrial environments which enables novel applications and combination with other enzymes.
MetGen uses advances in genetic engineering and microbiology to adapt enzymes to harsh industrial conditions and to handle a variety of lignocellulosic substrates. The company claims it has achieved successful industrial trials with sector leaders in forest and renewable chemicals.
BIOrescue
Recently, MetGen announced it will participate in BIOrescue project. This project aims to create value added products from mushroom compost. Mushroom production generates five million tonnes of compost each year in the European Union. This stream is currently landfilled or used for landscaping purposes even though it contains valuable organic components. In view of transforming this compost into a new income stream for mushroom producers, the BIOrescue project will develop innovative conversion processes to create biobased products from mushroom compost.
‘The technology development inherent in BIOrescue will offer great opportunities to create value from by-products from mushroom processing. This will generate significant incomes for the sector while supporting the move towards a circular economy’, says Philippe Mengal, Executive Director of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking in Brussels.
