HutanBio scaling from Cambridge base
Ibberson is regarded as an inspirational leader and a timely appointment. He was Founder and Director of Tebira Ltd, a technical consultancy specialising in electronic, software and systems development for global clients. He said: “I am thrilled to be joining the exceptional team at HutanBio which has spent more than a decade decoding the algal biofuel puzzle.
“The team has ambitious plans to decarbonise two of the toughest sectors; marine and aviation. These industries present unique technical hurdles due to their stringent performance, regulatory requirements and the need for high-energy-density fuels which is why the technology being developed by HutanBio is so exciting.
“It is quite simply pushing boundaries, blending advanced biological processes with innovative engineering; the microbiology is groundbreaking and the technology targets critical markets.
“With our biology already at an advanced stage and a world-class science team in place, my mission is to drive the engineering scale-up using my expertise in industrial process control, instrumentation, biotech, electronics, and technical leadership.
“I am particularly eager to contribute my knowledge and expertise to advance the HBx Biofuel platform and build a strong engineering team here in Cambridge. The challenge is immense, but the opportunity to make a substantial impact on global carbon emissions is what drives us all at HutanBio.”
HutanBio’s new office at St Johns Innovation Centre aligns with its vision for substantial expansion within the engineering team; recruitment efforts are already underway.
With over 80 tenants and 500 employees, the St John”s Innovation Park overall is felt to provide an ideal environment for growing businesses – offering accessibility, flexibility and collaboration opportunities.
HutanBio CEO Paul Beastall says: “The expansion of our engineering team in Cambridge is a strategic move and underpins our long-served connections to the University and surrounding area.
“Cambridge offers a wealth of talent, particularly in the engineering and tech sectors, making it an ideal location for our growth plans. James’s appointment marks a significant milestone in our journey towards realising our goals.”
HutanBio was founded in 2019 following a decade of research and the discovery of a rare species of microalgae called HBx. The algae produce a high energy density, low carbon, and sulphur-free bio-oil.
Expected to become a major disruptor in the fuel supply market and make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of transport and the hard-to-abate heavy industries such as cement manufacture, HutanBio has been patient and rigorous in its scientific work to ensure that HBx is market ready.
The company believes that HBx unlocks the biofuel puzzle with the capability to produce a cost-effective biofuel an order of magnitude greater than any other oil-crop and positively impact the £trillion challenge of decarbonising long-distance transport.
In addition to its advanced genomic expertise, the team has also developed an innovative technology platform to automate and optimise algae growth.
The platform uses CO2 greenhouse gas as a feedstock for the algae which are grown in special ‘bio-reactor farms.’
These sustainable and scalable aquafarms – designed and engineered by HutanBio – will be deployed on unproductive and non-agricultural semi-arid and arid land in countries where there are high levels of sunlight.
With its sights set on deploying their first commercial biofarm as early as 2025, all efforts are now focused on expanding the development team to advance the engineering, software and automation required to support platform deployment.