A Nebraska-based startup is working to help biofuel producers extract more value from agricultural crops by developing enzyme-based technologies for ethanol and biodiesel production.
MTE Biotech focuses on creating solutions for the biofuels and ag processing industries, inspired by ecosystems in nature. MTE Biotech President and CEO Sean Carr said industries like ethanol production have spent decades improving efficiency, leaving fewer opportunities for simple improvements. As a result, the company is focusing on areas that have traditionally been overlooked.
“We try to find those spots that seem like an impossible challenge to really improve and say, ‘Nature’s been working at this for millions of years.’ It’s just about finding where that solution has already been found,” Carr said.
The company develops enzyme technologies designed to unlock additional sugars, oils and other valuable components from lower-value crop byproducts. Carr compared the concept to utilizing every part of a livestock animal rather than focusing solely on premium cuts.
“We’re trying to look at how we can use, in this case, instead of the whole cow, the whole crop,” he said.
According to Carr, the technology is intended to provide agricultural processors with more value from the same amount of raw material while minimizing the need for major infrastructure investments.
A key part of MTE Biotech’s approach is developing products that can be integrated into existing ethanol plants and biorefineries without requiring significant operational changes.
“People have spent millions of dollars and decades setting up a lot of these biorefineries,” Carr said. “What we want to do is instead of asking them to change to accommodate us, how can we make our tech as drop-in as possible?”
Carr said producers can add the company’s enzyme blends directly into existing production streams to improve sugar extraction and oil separation. Additional modifications may further increase efficiency, but the technology is designed to deliver benefits without requiring major facility upgrades.
The company has completed bench-scale testing and early pilot projects and is now moving into larger-scale trials with partners in the fuel ethanol industry.
While ethanol remains an initial focus, Carr said MTE Biotech sees opportunities across multiple agricultural industries that process crops into value-added products.
“Any place that you’re trying to turn a crop into something else, that is where we want to expand into,” he said.