In Tennessee, precision fermentation startup Melazyme has raised $2 million in a seed funding round to support platform development and production scale-up of high-value molecules like melanin and brazzein. The company was founded in 2025 by Perumal Gandhi and Bonney Oommen, two veterans of cultivated dairy protein firm Perfect Day. Melanin has applications across cosmetics […]
In Tennessee, Trillium Renewable Chemicals (Trillium) has raised a $13 million Series B financing round. The financing was led by HS Hyosung Advanced Materials with participation from Capricorn Partners. This funding builds on the company’s previous $10.6 million Series A financing round and non-dilutive $2.5 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy. Following a successful multi-year pilot program […]
In Tennessee, Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) and Penske Transportation Solutions (Penske) announced the findings of the first phase of their shared initiative, the Decarbonization Lab (Lab). The Lab was designed to identify and validate commercially viable, near-term solutions that help reduce CO₂ emissions for commercial fleets under real-world conditions. Penske and Bridgestone plan to continue refining […]
In Tennessee, Gevo has licensed two patented catalyst technologies from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for use in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Researchers at ORNL developed catalysts that enable a single-step conversion of ethanol to olefins (ETO), which can then be used to produce SAF. A catalyst accelerates chemical reactions and enhances the efficiency of the fuel production process. In addition to SAF, olefins serve as key building blocks for a wide range […]
In Tennessee, FIDEM Energy LLC announced a strategic partnership with Japan-based Sojitz Corporation to advance U.S. renewable natural gas (“RNG”) production. Based in East Tennessee, FIDEM produces and markets RNG generated from landfill gas. FIDEM’s management team has decades of experience in operating solid waste management landfills across the Southeastern United States. Currently, FIDEM owns […]
In Tennessee, Chattanooga’s Moccasin Bend Environmental Campus is launching a project that will generate electricity from wastewater methane, a move expected to significantly reduce the campus’s roughly $300,000 monthly energy costs while turning a treatment byproduct into a reliable on-site energy source. The Mainspring system will allow MBEC to produce much of its electricity on-site, […]
In Tennessee, a newly released independent economic impact study finds that biomanufacturing projects located in Biofuel Development Opportunity (BDO) Zones generate substantial and repeatable economic benefits, reinforcing BDO Zones as a proven tool for rural economic development and investment attraction. The study, The Economic Impact of BDO Zones: Methods, Project-Level Estimates, and 100-Zone National Scaling, […]
In Tennessee, last month, FedEx continued its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) procurement momentum, beginning to take delivery of blended SAF at two additional U.S. airports for the first time: Chicago-O’Hare Airport and Miami International Airport. The start of these fuel deliveries in October marked the company’s second and third deployments of blended SAF at a […]
In Tennessee, POET has finalized its acquisition of Green Plains Obion, which will now be known as POET Bioprocessing – Obion, a bioethanol facility in northwestern Tennessee. With this milestone, POET’s portfolio grows to 35 bioprocessing facilities across nine states, bringing its annual production capacity to 3.1 billion gallons of bioethanol. POET also produces 15 […]
In Tennessee, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a meticulous analysis of the compounds released by plant roots into their surrounding environment. The analysis yielded an abundance of data that can guide research aiming to improve the way we grow energy and food crops. Researchers have long known that the […]
