ZymoChem, a specialty chemicals company focused on biological manufacturing, has secured $4 million in renewed federal funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE). Combined with a $1 million cost share, the award totals $5 million and aims to rebuild domestic supply chains for high-performance materials. The company will lead a consortium including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, working on bio-based intermediates that replace petroleum-derived precursors in high-performance polymers. ZymoChem is also conducting additional DOE-funded projects totalling approximately $650,000 at Lawrence Berkeley and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. The work focuses on developing bio-adipic acid and expanding the company's bio-based materials platform. Investors include lululemon athletica and Toyota Ventures.

Agile BioFoundry, ZymoChem announce partnership to advance the bioeconomy. ZymoChem, the biotechnology leader dedicated to creating alternative materials for everyday products, announced a partnership with the Agile BioFoundry (ABF), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), to enhance development of its bioproducts. In collaboration with the ABF, a consortium of U.S. National Laboratories focused on advancing industrial biomanufacturing of fuels and chemicals, ZymoChem will enhance its research on bio-adipic acid, a critical precursor ingredient to manufacturing bio-nylon 6,6.