Driving Cost Reduction in Biomanufacturing Biomaterials from Methane: Engineering Novel Strains to Increase Downstream Processing Efficiency

Members: Mango Materials, University of California – Davis  

Project dates: 2026 – present

Mango Materials and UC Davis are bringing together their respective expertise in gas fermentation and genetic engineering of non-model microorganisms to reduce drivers of biomanufacturing cost.  

Mango Materials produces the biopolymer polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from methane gas, which can be used to produce bioplastics for applications including injection molding, films, fibers, and 3D printing. This project will specifically focus on engineering methane-utilizing strains to increase the efficiency of downstream processing (DSP), thus driving down costs and improving overall process economics.  

The innovative collaboration between Mango Materials and UC Davis will enable new technology to rapidly increase through Biomanufacturing Readiness Levels, culminating in testing at Mango Materials’ Vacaville field site, a fully integrated methane-to-PHA production unit with >130L fermentation capacity. 

By reducing costs of a novel biomanufacturing technology, developing an efficient toolset to modify methane-utilizing microorganisms and conducting a comprehensive analysis of the costs and benefits of improving process economics by targeting DSP improvement, this project will ultimately promote domestic manufacturing and create jobs. BioMADE members will be able to access a framework for modifying microorganisms to accomplish improvements to DSP, as well as a cost/benefit analysis for the modification. 

Funding source: U.S. Department of Defense