Methanol is a green, potentially renewable raw material that can be converted by very few microorganisms into various, useful chemicals and products. Most importantly, unlike other raw materials commonly utilized as carbon and energy sources in bioprocesses, methanol production does not compete with food and feed industries for resources. This means using methanol as raw material does not contribute to increasing food shortage.

In my talk, I will explore how methylotrophic bacteria, particularly Bacillus methanolicus, can be used to establish methanol-based bioprocesses, and in long-term solve the issue of resource scarcity in the chemical industry. I will present my plans to establish B. methanolicus strain with reduced genome as a platform for future strain engineering endeavours, including expansion of product portfolio and introduction of further sustainable feedstock such as methane and wood waste.