Arbor Fuel Inc. is using biotechnology to generate cost effective, environmentally sensitive alternative fuels. The company is developing proprietary microbial strains to produce fuels from cellulosic biomass feedstocks. The technology enables the production of transportation fuels that do not compete with the food chain, and brings the next generation of high performance renewable fuels to consumers and industry worldwide.  

Arbor Fuel has successfully developed yeasts to produce advanced renewable fuels and chemicals.  These yeast strains enable cost effective, capital light, profitable production of renewable products, and the technology is proven at bench scale on experimental feedstocks. Cellulosic experimental feedstock can be fermented to ethanol with 65% of the theoretical maximum yield in under 48 hours without the addition of external enzymes.  

Yeast strains have also been engineered with a butanol biosynthetic pathway, and proof of principle for this next-generation biofuel has been demonstrated. Butanol is a next generation biofuel which can substitute directly for gasoline, has similar energy density and MPGs, and requires no modification to existing engines. Butanol does not absorb moisture making it noncorrosive, meaning the existing infrastructure can be used for transportation and storage. Butanol is compatible with ethanol blending and can even improve blending of ethanol with gasoline. Additionally, butanol can be blended with diesel.  

Arbor Fuel was founded in 2007 and completed a Series A round in 2008 with private investors.  The company is currently in the process of seeking a Series B round to fund its ongoing development of industrial processes and a pilot scale plant to be used for both cellulosic ethanol and butanol.