There’s a good article over at Fast Company highlighting Verenium (VRNM) which believes its enzymes can replace the corrosive acids currently used in the fracking process to extract natural gas deposits. The fracking process is considerably damaging to the environment with highly corrosive acids getting into groundwater channels. The oil & gas companies didn’t give a damn as long as the profits continued to flow, but as the impact of this destructive behavior comes to light they are feeling the heat to come up with cleaner alternatives. That’s where Verenium comes into play. They believe their biodegradable enzymes can replace the acids, breaking down guar (gel like fluid used in fracking) without all the safety issues. However, it should be noted that replacing the acids just removes a small part of the toxicity since it’s believed that fracking fluid contains up to 29 known carcinogens.