Biofuels are mainly produced through three processes: fermentation for alcohols, transesterification for biodiesel and fractional distillation for green diesel.

Fermentation happens when microorganisms process sugars and generate alcohols in the absence of oxygen. Alcohol fuels like ethanol are produced through the fermentation of sugars available in corn, sugarcane, sugar beet and others. During the fermentation process, microorganisms called yeasts consume the sugars and generate ethanol and carbon dioxide. Ethanol is generally mixed with gasoline, usually in a ratio of 10% to 15% ethanol to 85% to 90% gasoline to be used in internal combustion engines.

Biodiesel is generally produced from oilseeds like sunflower, soybeans, and palm or from recycled oils and fats obtained from the food processing industry. These fats are mixed with methanol and heated thus producing approximately 90% biodiesel and 10% raw glycerol. Diesel engines cannot run on pure biodiesel fuels. Biodiesel must be blended with conventional diesel for it to work. However, many manufacturers in Europe cover their diesel engines under warranty for usage of 100% pure biodiesel fuels.

Green diesels are produced by refining vegetable oils like canola or cartor bean oils. Through a process called fractional distillation, the larger fats in vegetable oils are broken into smaller hydrocarbons using hydrogen. This method produces a fuel called green diesel that is nearly identical to petro-diesel an can be used in existing diesel engines with no modifications.

BioTork can improve existing ethanol production processes, and their related economics, by improving variables like the growth rate of microorganisms, their tolerance to inhibitors, especially to the ethanol itself, the feedstock conversion ratio, and their adaptation to different ranges of temperature. For example, BioTork has the capacity to improve some of the challenges currently facing the corn-based ethanol producers. One of these challenges is weather variations. In the Midwest, where most of the ethanol distilleries are located, temperature can be extremely high during summer and very low during winters. Unless the distilleries are shut down, or thermo regulated, the yeasts used in the sugar fermentation will not be able to perform at their optimal level.  Both of these options come with a high cost for the producers in investments and operations.  A second challenge is the conversion rate of raw materials to ethanol. To date, only certain sugars in the corn grains are transformed into ethanol. The stillage (grain matter that was not fermented by yeasts) and the corncobs are generally used after processing as feed for livestock or as fertilizers. The processing and transportation of these co-products is costly, and the return on investment is far below the one generated by ethanol.

A third challenge is related to the nature of the yeasts used to ferment sugars. The yeasts currently used in the production of ethanol cannot ferment directly the complex sugar molecules available in the starch. A prior step consists of breaking the complex sugar units into smaller ones by using specific enzymes that are very expensive.

This initial step comes at a high cost that could be avoided if the yeasts were adapted to process complex sugar molecules, which is exactly what BioTork is doing. Further, like all living organisms, yeasts go through a lifecycle during which they grow, multiply and die. Their performance in fermenting sugar depends on their growth rate. The faster they multiply the faster they ferment. Production cycles will be shorter and faster if the ethanol producers could use yeasts with improved growth rate. A final challenge is the resistance of yeasts to various inhibitors including high concentrations of ethanol. Yeasts generally cannot live in an environment with a concentration of ethanol that is higher than 15%.

BioTork has a technology capable of adapting yeasts, and all sorts of microorganisms, so they can still perform at an optimal level in an environment different from the one they are accustomed to. For example BioTork has adapted yeasts to function effectively in environments with broad temperature ranges thus allowing ethanol producers to save on temperature regulation costs and keep their distilleries running during the 12 months of the year. Ethanol producers will be able to use yeasts that have  been adapted by BioTork for low temperatures during winter and others adapted for high temperatures during summer. Similarly, yeasts can be adapted to process a larger proportion of the stillage (non fermented grain matter) and cellulose which makes up most of the cob. Thus a much larger proportion of the corn plant will be used in the production process of ethanol, which will result in an optimized use of the raw material and a higher return on investment for the producers. Using the same technology, BioTork has adapted yeasts to resist higher concentration of ethanol which will increase the ethanol production. Increased yeasts performance will reduce the production processing time and cost and optimize the use of the equipment.

BioTork is capable of developing new bioprocess to produce liquid biofuels from any type of biomass. BioTork technology is not limited to adapting yeasts or algae metabolisms. Its technology can be used to optimize the metabolic properties of any microorganism involved in the industrial processes of liquid biofuels.

BioTork has the ability to create new biofuel production processes by adapting the strains of some algae that are not currently used. Today the great majority of the algae used in the production of biodiesel are phototrophic, meaning they need sunlight and the atmospheric carbon dioxide in the air to produce fatty acids. The cultivation of this type of algae requires a significant amount of land area and water because they need to get maximum exposure to the sun. The lack of space and continuous sunlight causes shading and poor growth.

Another type of algae can grow in the absence of light and carbon dioxide. They are called heterotrophic. BioTork has been adapting strains of this second type of algae so they can be produced in closed fermentors at high density, and no dependence on the sun for energy. This means fewer footprint (surface) for facilities since exposure to light is not necessary and less water for cultures. The production of heterotrophic algae can be accomplished with limited water, no climate considerations and offers many advantages compared to phototrophic algae. Heterotrophic algae are known not to produce cellulose in their membrane which makes the extraction of oil a lot easier. They produce almost twice as much fatty acid as phototrophic algae, resulting in a much higher productivity.

BioTork does not currently produce biofuels itself, but rather provides biofuel producers with adapted microorganism solutions and services to assist them in producing additional biofuels for both the low value co-products and in the use of the remaining biomass to produce additional cost effective biofuels. The time necessary to provide a biofuel producer with a microbial solution adapted to his production processes will depend on several factors. The most important factor is how different the new environment, and its associated feedstock, is from the usual environment where the microorganisms operate. The more different the new environment will be, the more time is necessary to adapt the microorganisms. Once in commercial scale production, it is expected that the additional biofuels will be produced in a continuous batch feed process.

The process used by BioTork is IP protected and results in solutions that are also patentable.