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We are developing proprietary technologies to produce three types of products: plant proteins, specialty chemicals and niche biomass products. These technologies could be incorporated into biorefineries to enhance the profitability of a biomass-to-energy process. Examples of our planned products include the following:
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Proteins
The primary protein in tobacco, rubisco, is a leaf protein which has many advantages compared with existing protein products. Rubisco has nutritional value comparable with casein, the milk protein. However, unlike casein or egg proteins, rubisco is non-allergenic. Rubisco has excellent binding, gelling and emulsifying characteristics. It is also colorless, tasteless and odorless, which makes it ideal for inclusion in a number of food, feed and industrial products.
We plan to first market tobacco proteins for non-food industrial uses. Among the industries where rubisco appears suitable are the paper products industry, adhesive products industry, the cosmetics industry and the paint industry.
We will also pursue FDA recognition of rubisco as a Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) substance. Once we obtain GRAS status, we will market rubisco for food purposes. Rubisco’s nonallergenic status offers an advantage compared with other protein sources, such as milk, egg or soy.
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Specialty Chemicals
Tobacco produces several extractible specialty chemicals with economic value. For example, nicotine has long been used as a pesticide. Another chemical from tobacco, solanesol is used in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.
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Energy
Tobacco produces approximately five dry tons of biomass per acre even after removal of potentially useful co-products. This material can be converted to energy or used as a high-nutrition animal feed. If converted to ethanol, each acre could produce approximately 335 gallons of ethanol at a rate of 67 gallons/ton of biomass. We would seek to partner with an energy company for conversion of biomass to energy.
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Vertical Integration
We anticipate that we will identify certain products where tobacco proteins offer particularly large advantages over existing protein sources. In those market sectors where tobacco proteins offer the greatest advantage, we will consider vertically expanding into finished product production. This will allow us to capture more income from products where the use of tobacco proteins and our proprietary technologies create a competitive advantage.
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| Tobacco Processing Facility |
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We have collaborated closely with the University of Maryland, and with representatives of the Southern Maryland tobacco growers, since the inception of our research involving tobacco in 2002. We also have collaborations with other universities in tobacco-growing regions. As part of these collaborations, we and the University of Maryland jointly established a pilot processing facility on campus at the University of Maryland in 2005.
We and our academic collaborators have utilized this facility to develop new technologies for the recovery of tobacco leaf proteins and biomass. We have also developed cultivation practices suitable for growing tobacco for biomass production.
The major benefits our venture can provide to rural areas have helped us and our academic counterparts obtain more than $1.5 million in public seed funding, since beginning our research involving tobacco. We also received a USDA Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant award in 2006.
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