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Two families of newly developed products from specialty chemical maker Solenis (Wilmington, Del.; www.solenis.com) — a portfolio of fermentation aids and scale inhibitors — have the potential to improve the production of bioethanol and related fermentation processes. Solenis fermentation aids are additives designed to control undesirable microorganisms in fermentation processes without the use of antibiotics. The fermentation aids work by promoting yeast’s metabolic pathways, enhancing the ability of yeast to compete with bacteria in the propagation and fermentation phases of the process, explains Allen Ziegler, the global biorefining marketing director at Solenis. Simultaneously, the fermentation aids — proprietary combinations of organic acids, peptides, iso-alpha acids and chlorine dioxide — inhibit the growth of gram-positive bacteria, Ziegler adds. The products allow biofuels producers to avoid antibiotics in the control of microbes, which can have favorable regulatory implications for the Food and Drug Admin. (FDA). Solenis also recently launched a portfolio of chemical blends for controlling the formation of inorganic scales, such as calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate and others. The products, which…