Rubi Secures $1 Million Phase II Grant from the National Science Foundation to Scale its Breakthrough Carbon-to-Cellulose Platform
Summary
The companys initial focus is on CO2-derived cellulose to replace traditional wood pulp, aiming to decarbonize textile production by eliminating deforestation and significantly reducing the environmental impact of raw material manufacturing. "Rubis proprietary technology uses a cascade of specialized enzymes to transform simple 1-carbon molecules into complex carbohydrate polymers like cellulose under mild conditions. Compared to traditional methods such as fermentation or chemical catalysis, which are constrained by cost, efficiency, or product range, Rubis cell-free enzymatic platform can achieve a 10x reduction in capital costs and 3x higher yields than fermentation and significantly lower energy use than chemical catalysis while expanding the range of attainable products.Unlike cell-based fermentationwhich requires energy-intensive conditions to sustain living organisms and typically generates over 70% byproduct wasteRubis cell-free biocatalysis process can convert nearly all carbon inputs into the desired product. "Rubis cell-free biocatalysis approach is a paradigm shift in manufacturing, providing a sustainable and efficient solution to produce CO2-derived materials without exploiting natural resources. "Were thrilled to have the continued support of the NSF with this Phase II award and look forward to scaling our technology to meet the growing global demand for ultra-low-carbon, bio-based materials.