LanzaTech and BASF achieve first production of n-octanol from industrial off-gas By Mary Page Bailey | May 12, 2021 LanzaTech (Skokie, Ill.; www.lanzatech.com) and BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) have achieved a key first success in transforming industrial off-gases into chemicals. With the help of special bacteria, they have been able to produce n-octanol at laboratory scale from carbon monoxide and hydrogen, the main components of emissions, such as those from the steel industry. n-octanol is an important molecule that is used in cosmetics, among other uses. “By connecting our competencies, we can speed-up bringing more sustainable products to the market. The interdisciplinary cooperation between biologists, biochemists and engineers is decisive for successful outcomes in the field of white biotechnology and therefore also for the success of this project,” said Dr. Detlef Kratz, President of the Process Research & Chemical Engineering research division at BASF. In this collaboration, LanzaTech contributes its unique, innovative gas fermentation technology, while BASF provides its expertise in the development and operation of chemical processes. “The integration of LanzaTech’s gas fermentation technology into BASF’s Verbund enables us to take an important step towards a carbon-neutral circular economy,” Kratz added. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO LanzaTech, stressed: “Our climate is changing, and the world is anxiously watching while we develop urgently needed technologies to keep the important raw material, carbon, in the cycle. BASF is leading the way in rethinking the chemical supply chain, by embracing a circular model of transforming waste carbon into new materials and keeping fossil fuels in the ground.”