RESTORING WATER, AIR, SOIL WITH MICROBES

California bio-tech start-up BluumBio rapidly cleans air. soil and water

“We had to take what we learned in the lab and develop products that would work in the field. At the same time, I knew we had a huge hurdle to overcome: the belief that some of the smallest organisms on Earth could help solve one of the biggest problems humanity faces.” -- Katherine French, Founder & CEO BluumBio

Interview with Katherine French CEO BluumBio

By Suzanne Forcese

WT: Please introduce yourself to our viewers giving us a brief history of your background and the journey that compelled you to found BluumBio. From biologist to entrepreneur...what was the motivation?

French: My academic training was in environmental science, working on projects related to climate change, sustainability, and conservation of natural landscapes. I had always had an interest in pollution, namely, why it wasn’t being cleaned up.

Given my training in microbiology and ecology, I knew that microbes had all sorts of amazing metabolisms that break down and transform many chemicals found in the environment. I felt that the missing link was connecting fundamental research and product development.

Basically, we had to take what we learned in the lab and develop products that would work in the field. At the same time, I knew we had a huge hurdle to overcome: the belief that some of the smallest organisms on Earth could help solve one of the biggest problems humanity faces.

Doing a postdoc at UC Berkeley in 2018 on how microbes “eat” petroleum and working with a California-based oil and gas company gave me confidence that not only could microbes successfully clean up contaminated soil but also that there was a real customer need for the solutions we were developing.

WT: Quite simply you have stated that the BluumBio process is ‘Nature, Restored By Nature’ -- Please provide an overview of BluumBio.

French: My work as a postdoc at UC Berkeley served as the basis for BluumBio. In 2021 I founded the company after joining YCombinator. Since then, we have grown to a team of eight scientists and have developed three product lines, targeting petroleum, PFAS and PCBs. All these products have been used to treat real soil and water from customer sites. To date, we work with a wide range of customers, from oil and gas companies to airports, mining companies, and engineering firms.

WT: Tell us about the combined Team talent and the mission that motivates you.

French: We are a team of eight scientists, with backgrounds in chemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, ecology, fermentation, and bioprocess development. Together, I like to think we’re great at solving problems and doing what we do best: making microbial products that actually work.

The team is motivated by a higher purpose, using science to develop new technologies to clean up pollution. I think that strong mission has really pushed us to the best science possible, to be thoughtful about product development, and to focus on meeting customer needs.

WT: How is the BluumBio business model a unique and disruptive vision?

French: I can safely say we are the only company currently focused on developing novel products for bioremediation and have working products on the market.

There can be a lot of noise in the biotech space; namely startups that claim they plan to breakdown a chemical (like PFAS) and yet have a shaky approach to how they will do so or have little to no data to back their claims. What I have found is that these startups might be able to raise a seed round but then go under because of lack of traction with customers.

Our business model is unique because we are focused on a very practical approach to product development and all our claims are backed up by data and white papers.

One vision we have is that more companies use in-situ microbial remediation to clean up their contaminated sites. The in-situ part is what is disruptive. Most companies will try to dig up their contaminated sites and dump that soil into landfills.

As regulations change and this option no longer becomes attractive, our hope is that more companies seek in-situ remediation plans.

There is an implicit bias that microbes can’t achieve remediation goals. What we try to show, whether through treatability studies or field trials, is that actually they can do this work and often more quickly than thought. It doesn’t take 10 years, as many fear. It could take as little as a few months to a year to achieve remediation goals using our products.

WT: Congratulations on being named Top Innovator in the Spotlight by Uplink! What has this recognition meant for your Team? How has it ignited your vision?

French: The Yes SF (San Francisco) program has given us the opportunity to work on remediation within a new context: urban development. Cities all over the world have a legacy of industrial activity which has (in many cases) polluted local soil and water. Working with Yes SF has given us new connections in the public and private sectors and has also led to a pilot opportunity within the City of San Francisco.

Essentially, with this pilot we showed that one of our products, Bluum Firefly, could remove up to 49% of PCBs from soil along one of the Piers in SF within 30 days.

This shows that within a few months, our product could potentially clean up former industrial sites without the need for expensive dig and haul while also reducing future liability. We are so honored to have the opportunity to work with the City of San Francisco and to have recognition from Uplink that technologies like ours are needed today. Working with the City of San Francisco has given us a template for how we can work with other cities in the future and help them move towards shared goals of urban sustainability.

WT: As stated on the Uplink site: "The company’s portfolio includes products that can degrade petroleum, with additional products capable of degrading PCBs, PFAS, heavy metals and microplastics nearing trials."

Please explain your breakthrough technology and how it is a revolutionary pivot from traditional perspectives. How is it true remediation?

French: The microbes in our products have metabolic pathways capable of taking industrial chemicals and breaking them back down to carbon. Using genetic sequencing, we know what enzymes are involved and through molecular biology we know how they work and can verify their activity.

We consider this “true remediation” in the sense that we are addressing the problem of pollution head on and literally making it disappear -- not moving the problem from one spot to the next, as is the case with dig and haul.

WT: Describe what enzymes are and how they work.

French: Each product line has a different set of microbes, each with their own enzymes. We tend to work with organisms that have specific classes of enzymes, like oxygenases and dehalogenases, all of which are useful in the metabolism of industrial chemicals.

WT: How does these technology answer the call for urgency in solving environmental problems?

French: With over 2,000 microbes discovered and sequenced, and 5 active product development pipelines, we’ve recently launched 2 products publicly after rigorous internal and external validation.

Because we now have viable technologies for cleaning up pollution, we can meet the call for urgency in solving environmental issues. In the past, these calls were focused on raising awareness about the problem.

Now we need to focus on what we do with new technologies like ours. If we can clean up pollution, who is responsible? Who pays? Sometimes environmental cleanup is straightforward, but other times it’s contentious.

WT: On your LinkedIn page you have posted an article from Science Journal For Kids. How important is outreach/education/awareness to you?

French: I have a long history of science communication and working with local schools to promote a love of science early in life. We’ve been focused on product development to date, but I think the whole team would love the chance to do more outreach in the future.

WT: What stage are you currently at in your start-up? Are you attracting investors?

French: We raised our pre-seed round in 2021 and are currently raising our seed round.

WT: Moving forward...what's next?

French: Moving forward, we’re excited for 2025. We have large scale applications of our product with various commercial partners. We’re looking forward to the data that will come out of these field demos and hope it will strengthen our case to the wider community that microbial assisted in situ remediation really does work and can be a viable, affordable way to achieve clean-up goals.

WT: How would you like to invite our viewers to shift their awareness and understanding of environmental clean-up.

French: I invite viewers to go for a walk. Look at your rivers, your coasts, your neighborhood, your city. What do you see? What do you smell?

I’ve lived in multiple countries and without a doubt there was at least one contaminated site nearby, squadroned off with fences and ‘do not enter’ signs.

I invite viewers to think: why are these sites still here? How could this be affecting me?

And if they really care, if they feel a bit of anger, I invite them to ask: ‘How can I use my voice to be a part of the solution?’

What stops many people from contributing to solving the global challenge of pollution is that the problem is too big, or they can’t do anything. But I would say it can start small. Go to that town hall meeting. Stop buying products made with toxic chemicals.

Related: (For Teachers & Kids) How can we find oil-eating bacteria to clean up the sea?