Biosimo enables the chemical industry's net-zero transition by replacing fossil-based essential chemicals with identical quality ones made from bio-ethanol, while still being competitive on price and scale.
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Iria Mostrou
A seasoned entrepreneur and chemical engineer with a doctorate from ETH Zurich, Sotiria (Iria) Mostrou is the principal inventor of Biosimo's technology and an expert in catalytic processes. With previous entrepreneurial experience from running her family store in Greece and corporate expertise leading the development of continuous production on a pilot scale at Janssen (part of Johnson & Johnson), she grows the business with a passion for chemistry and sustainability.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
The chemical industry, grappling with its reliance on fossil resources and complex value chains, needs sustainable, reliable, and economic bio-alternatives. Transitioning to entirely new components or value chains is too expensive and impractical, and existing bio-alternatives are unable to meet the chemical industry's price and scale requirements while being carbon-neutral or -negative. The emphasis must be on creating renewable drop-in alternatives for fossil-based bulk chemicals at the value chain’s onset.
Technology Vision
Biosimo produces sustainable bulk chemicals from existing abundant, sustainable sources with carbon-neutral or carbon-negative footprints. With an innovative catalytic process marked by high yield and energy generation, Biosimo ensures cost-competitive solutions, beginning with bio-acetic acid and acetyls, pushing for a feasible and efficient transformation in the industry.
Potential for Impact
The carbon footprint of Biosimo’s acetic acid production, leveraging various sources of ethanol, is significantly lower than the traditional fossil-based Cativa process. Biosimo’s innovative methods reduce CO₂ emissions across all scopes up to 90 percent, and is even carbon-negative with certain feedstocks. Biosimo is projected to mitigate over 700 million tons of CO₂ equivalent in carbon emissions by 2050.
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Biosimo Chemicals