Oct. 3, 2011 at 3:25 PM ET
In the world of synthetic biology, microbes engineered to produce medicines and biofuels generate plenty of buzz, but the real money-making opportunity may lie in less sexy products such as tires.
That's the bet California-based synthetic chemical firm Amyris and the Paris-based Michelin tire company are making with the recent announcement of a new partnership to develop and commercialize isoprene, the chemical building block of synthetic rubber.
While rubber is found in nature — think trees — isoprene is one of the many products made with chemicals derived from oil.
"Eighty-five percent of the volume of a barrel of oil is used to make fuel," notes Nature News, "but the chemicals that come from the remaining 15 percent account for 85 percent of the barrel's monetary value."
The partnership between Amyris and Michelin is the latest example of startups and established companies getting together to develop and market bio-derived chemicals, according to Nature News. Check out the full story for the complete rundown.
In the case of the Amyris and Michelin partnership, they expect their isoprene to hit the market in 2015 for use in tires and other specialty chemical applications such as adhesives, coatings and sealants.
"Growing demand for isoprene and a desire to increase the sourcing of sustainable raw materials create a great opportunity," Amyris CEO John Melo said in a statement.
More on synthetic biology:
- Greener tires, without oil, may be in the making
- Bright bacteria wins synthetic biology competition
- One third of Americans back ban on synthetic biology
- First synthetic life form holds promise, peril
John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com.