13 Matching Entries
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Agri-Tech Producers, LLC print
Basic Information - Agri-Tech Producers, LLC
| Name of Company | Agri-Tech Producers, LLC |
| Headquarters | Columbia, South Carolina 29223 (803) 462-0153 |
| Current Status | Operational |
Technology/ Product - Agri-Tech Producers, LLC
| Type of Technology | Agri-Tech Producers uses technology developed at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. They acquired a recently patented torrefecation process known as Combined Remediation Biomass and Bio-Product Production (CRBBP) Process, which uses heat in a low oxygen environment, to convert plant and wood biomass into a clean, renewable char, from which one can make biobased fillers. The fillers can then be made into composites and plastics, which perform better, or can be made into biochar, which can be used as a soil amendment. Fillers can also be used to make clean and renewable bio-coal, which can be co-fired in coal-fired plants to reduce pollution and greenhouse gases; it can also be used as an alternative to coal, and other useful bio-products. |
| Product Type | Biochar, Composites, Bioplastics, Liquid Biofuels |
| Product(s) Manufactured | Biochar for soil amendment, and carbonized woody biomass for use in plastics and composites as a filler |
| Value Proposition/Market Disruption | ATP's units do not require pre-drying of the biomass to reduce moisture to 20%, and can accept most biomass feedstock as is, after chipping and storage. The technology is powered by the products extracted from wood, making it nearly self-sufficient. |
| Existing Customers and Off-Takes | Customers include electric utility companies currently burning coal, wood pellet producers, cellulosic ethanol producers (gasification process). |
| Patents or Licenses or Verification | Torre-Tech® 5.0 is Agri-Tech's standard commercial machine, which is available for sale now, and which produces 5 tons per hour of torrefied wood. This commercial system costs $5M. ATP has access to innovative torrefaction technology developed by North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the US patent was issued, in November 2012. Patents are also issued or are pending in other appropriate countries. |
History/Track Record - Agri-Tech Producers, LLC
| Year Founded | 2005 |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Small Commercial |
| Existing Facilities | HQs in Columbia, South Carolina |
| Planned Facilities | In addition to selling equipment to customers, Agri-Tech plans to deploy the equipment in projects of its own and in certain joint ventures. They are also working toward creating mobile torrefaction units with NCSU |
| Current JVs | In 2009, Agri-Tech Producers LLC selected South Carolina-based Kusters Zima Corp. as its engineering/manufacturing partner for the production of its torrefaction equipment |
Wood Resource - Agri-Tech Producers, LLC
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Unspecified |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Chips |
| Feedstock Type | Wood, Agricultural waste |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | Agri-Tech can take wood chips (0.5in/12mm), bio-crops (switchgrass, miscanthus, etc), and energy bio-grasses. The feed rate of wood biomass with a moisture content < 40% is 15,000 lbs/hour or 6,800kg/hour (dry basis). Approximately 3 tons of "green" feedstock yields 1 ton of torrefied product. |
Facility Needs - Agri-Tech Producers, LLC
| Utility and Property Requirements | Unspecified In the Torre-Tech equipment, water is used for the cooling process and for fire suppression functions. |
| Energy/Thermal Load | Electrical consumption of the Torre-Tech machine is 300kW (connected requirement), and 225kW (estimated operating usage. |
Community/Maine Relevance
Financing
Other
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American Process, Inc. print
Basic Information - American Process, Inc.
| Name of Company | American Process, Inc. |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, GA 30309, (404) 872-8807 |
| Current Status | Operational |
Technology/ Product - American Process, Inc.
| Type of Technology | American Process, Inc. has developed three proprietary biorefinery technnologies for producing cellulosic sugars and ethanol from non-food based biomass. 1) The first technology is Green Power+®. Green Power+® produces power cellulosic sugars from the hemicellulose of the biomass in co-production mode. The sugars can then be converted to ethanol or other chemicals. With Green Power+®, hemicellulose is extracted from biomass used to make renewable electricity, pellets or some forms of pulp. The hemicellulose is then hydrolyzed to sugars. The rest of the biomass is sent to its original use, i.e. to make electricity, pellets or pulp. 2) The second technology is AVAP® (AMerican Value Added Pulping). This technology is a patented fractionation biorefinery process that fractionates biomass into primary components, cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. In the first step, biomass is fractionated into its three major components: cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. In a second step, the hemicellulose fraction is auto-hydrolyzed to sugars using residence time and heat. In a parallel second step the cellulose fraction is converted to products. The cellulose that is generated from AVAP® has very low content of lignin and hemicelluloses. 3) The third technology is GreenBox+®. GreenBox+® co-produces corrugated medium paper with a hemicellulose-based stream through proprietary application of hot water pre-extraction of wood chips. |
| Product Type | Biobased Chemicals, Sugars, Lignin |
| Product(s) Manufactured | Green Power+® produces power cellulosic sugars from the hemicellulose of the biomass in co-production mode. The sugars can then be converted to ethanol or other chemicals. AVAP® technology produces low cost clean cellulosic sugar produced from both the cellulosic and hemicelluloses of any biomass. The sugars can then be converted to ehtanol or other chemicals. AVAP® can be applied to any biomass and can scale. The cellulose that is generated from AVAP® has very low content of lignin and hemicelluloses. It is an ideal feedstock for the production of pure cellulose, nanocellulose or cellulosic glucose. With GreenBox+®, the hemicelluloses can be sold as is or converted in to sugars, ethanol or other chemicals. |
| Value Proposition/Market Disruption | API strives to become the leading provider of biomass-derived sugars to a wide range of biofuel and biochemical producers. |
| Existing Customers and Off-Takes | Abitibi Bowater, Alabama River Group, Appleton, Bchydro, Boise, Buckeye, Canfor, Domtar, DPI, ESSAR Steel, Flambeau River Papers, Georgia Pacific, Georgia Power, Graphic Packaging, Howe Sounds, Honeywell, Kruger, Longview, Mercer, Meadwestvaco, New Page, Norske Skog, Potlatch, Rayonier, RockTenn, Sappi, Smurfit-Stone, Sniace, Southern Company, SP Newsprint Co., Storaenso, Tembec, Valero, Veracel, Verso, Western Pulp Products Company, Weyerhaeuser, White Birch Paper Partners include GranBio, Green Tech America, Novozymes, ArborGen, LentiKats Biotechnologies and Metso. |
| Patents or Licenses or Verification | Over 250 patents pending, 40 granted; GreenPower+®; AVAP®; GreenBox+®: BioPlus® |
History/Track Record - American Process, Inc.
| Year Founded | 1995 |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Demonstration |
| Existing Facilities | Offices: Atlanta, GA; Athens, Greece; Cluj-Napoca, Romania…. Demonstration Facilities: Alpena, MI; Thomaston, GA . The Alpena biorefinery started up in June 2012. The Alpena biorefinery sold the first cellulosic ethanol RINs in April, 2014. The Alpena plant took a sabbatical in 2015, but in March, 2016, resumed operations producing wood molasses which is sold as binder into animal feed products. In 2017, Alpena produced 7,548 tons of Molasses. Green Power+® can be applied to traditional biomass industries such as biomass renewable power, pellet manufacturing, pulp manufacturing, and sugarcane mills. GreenPower+®is currently being demonstrated at the Alpena Biorefinery in Alpena, Michigan. BioPlus® Nanocellulose pre-commercial production started on April 2015, at Thomaston Biorefinery’s ½ ton/d pilot plant. In 2013 API celebrated the startup of the second demonstration plant for AVAP technology – AVAPCO/Thomaston Biorefinery - with a 1 ton/day cellulosic sugars production. |
| Planned Facilities | Currently developing commercial projects for the next size of scale-up. |
| Total $$ Invested in Company to Date | The Alpena Biorefinery project received $18 million from the Department of Energy and $4 million from the State of Michigan. |
| Primary Investors | U.S. Department of Energy, State of Michigan |
| Current JVs | March 2017 - GFBiochemicals and American Process Inc entered into a joint development agreement to create the largest integrated cellulosic biorefinery in the world. The proposed biorefinery, located in the U.S, is expected to create 50-200 thousand tonnes per year of biobased products, addressing markets with a potential annual value of $ 10 billion. |
Wood Resource - American Process, Inc.
| Generation of Feedstock used | 1st Gen, 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Softwood |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Unspecified |
| Feedstock Type | Agricultural waste, Wood API technology can use corn, sugarcane, agricultural residues, forest resources (they currently use southern softwood), and energy crops/grasses as feedstocks. |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | Thomaston biorefinery pilot plant produces 1/2 ton per day. AVAPCO/Thomaston Biorefinery in 2013 produced cellulosic sugars at 1 ton/day. |
Facility Needs - American Process, Inc.
| Utility and Property Requirements | Unspecified |
Community/Maine Relevance - American Process, Inc.
Financing
Other - American Process, Inc.
| Links to Public Presentations and Other Resources | B:iofuels Digest link Partnerships, collaborations, and customers: link Bioplus Fact Sheet: link Biofuels Digest: Alpena Biorefinery takes a sabbatical: link GF Biochemicals and American Process JV Press Release: link Alpena Biorefinery Resumes Operation Press Release: link GranBio Acquisition of API March, 2019: link |
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Anellotech print
Basic Information - Anellotech
| Name of Company | Anellotech |
| Headquarters | Pearl River, NY 10965 |
| Current Status | Operational |
Technology/ Product - Anellotech
| Type of Technology | Thermo Catalytic Biomass Conversion (Bio-TCat™). Biomass (wood, sawdust, corn stover, sugar cane bagasse, and other non-food materials) is dried and ground. The biomass is rapidly heated, and the resulting gases are immediately converted into hydrocarbons by a proprietary, reusable, sand-like zeolite catalyst. The resulting mixture of benzene, toluene and xylenes (bio-BTX), which is identical to petroleum-derived counterparts, can be further purified and separated by using well-known commercial technologies at either grass-roots or existing petrochemical infrastructures. |
| Product Type | Biobased Chemicals, Bioplastics (biobased PET) |
| Product(s) Manufactured | biobased Benzene, Tolune, and Xylene (BTX) chemicals for gasoline blendstock and for further conversion to biobased polyethylene |
| Value Proposition/Market Disruption | Low cost, economic competitiveness: Anellotech's ultimate competitive advantage is its use of a one-reactor catalytic process. This process goes directly from biomass to BTX in one step. It eliminates highly oxygenated bio-oil intermediate found with multi-step pyrolysis, and avoids associated need for substantial amounts of costly hydrogen. |
| Existing Customers and Off-Takes | Process development alliance includes IFP Energies Nouvelles, Axens IFP Group Technologies, and Johnson Matthey |
| Patents or Licenses or Verification | Bio-TCat™, AnelloMate™, Anellotech’s proprietary biomass pre-treatment process: MinFree™ |
History/Track Record - Anellotech
| Year Founded | Co-founded in 2008 by current CEO, David Sudolsky, and George Huber. |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Start-up/Pilot Technology has been proven to achieve commercially-targeted yields at its TCat-8 pilot unit in Silsbee, Texas during six months of continuous process operations. |
| Existing Facilities | Headquarters in Pearl River, NY. TCat-8® pilot plant in Silsbee, Texas. Commercially-viable process yields and catalyst performance has now been achieved at economic design conditions at Anellotech’s TCat-8® pilot unit in Silsbee, Texas. TCat-8 has operated for over 2,000 hours with continuous catalyst circulation including a fluid bed reactor, catalyst stripper, catalyst regenerator, quench tower, and recycle compressor. The pilot plant is operating mass balance closures of 100% +/-2%, and regularly completes uninterrupted 24/7 runs. The TCat-8 unit operates inside a commercial chemical facility that is OSHA Process Safety Management compliant. Anellotech is now planning the construction of its first commercial plant - capable of processing 500 bone dry tons/day of loblolly pine wood into 40,000 tonnes/year (860 BPSD) of products including benzene, toluene, xylenes, and C9+ aromatics to use as fuels or for making bio-based plastics for packaging and consumer products. 30,000 tons of carbon monoxide (CO) and other by-product gases will also be produced, for use in generating renewable electricity or used for chemical feedstock (Biofuels Digest, May, 2019). |
| Planned Facilities | Licensed, partner-funded commercial plant targeted by 2020. After verification of the continuous operation of TCat-8, partners/investors Suntory and Toyota Tsusho plan to move ahead with studies to consider the development of the first commercial-scale Bio-TCat plant. |
| Total $$ Invested in Company to Date | Alliance with Japanese bottled water brand Suntory began in 2012 under a collaboration agreement and Suntory has since provided more than $30 million (as indicated in July, 2018 press release) in funding to date. Since its founding in 2008, Anellotech has raised over $80 million in cash and in-kind contributions to date. |
| Primary Investors | Anellotech’s strategic development, licensing and funding partners include: Johnson Matthey (major catalyst supplier to the Process Industries, will co-develop and provide catalysts for the development program and will manufacture catalysts for commercial use), IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN): (Anellotech leverages IFPEN’s specific expertise in catalytic reactor modeling, catalyst regenerator design and aromatics processing to provide additional depth and breadth of experience to the Bio-TCat development program) Axens: (partner for commercialization, global licensing, basic engineering design, start-up and technical support for licensees.) Suntory: (partnered with Anellotech to advance the development and commercialization of cost-competitive bio-aromatics, including bio-paraxylene, the key component needed to make a 100 percent bio-based PET beverage bottles.) Toyota Tsusho Corporation: (announced publicly its investment in Anellotech in July 2016) |
| Current JVs | Joint Development Partners: IFPEN, Axens Product Development Partner: Suntory |
Wood Resource - Anellotech
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Softwood |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Unspecified |
| Feedstock Type | Wood Currently working with Loblolly Pine. Technology can also take wood, sawdust, corn stover, sugar cane bagasse, and other non-food materials. |
Facility Needs
Community/Maine Relevance - Anellotech
Financing
Other - Anellotech
| Links to Public Presentations and Other Resources | Anellotech Video Introduction: link Press release/July, 2018 developments: link Biofuels Digest 2017 multi-slide guide: link Biofuels Digest 2018 on Anellotech Pilot Plant: link plant/ Biofuels Digest Annellotech Update Oct. 18 2018: link Biofuels Digest May 2019 - Anellotech technology confirmed, moving forward with Commercialization: link Anellotech - Suntory Bioplastic Bottle closer to reality: link |
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Arbiom print
Basic Information - Arbiom
| Name of Company | Arbiom |
| Headquarters | 4222 Emperor Boulevard, Suite 300 Durham, NC 27703 |
| Current Status | Operational |
Technology/ Product - Arbiom
| Type of Technology | Arbiom’s technology platform integrates pre-treatment and bioprocessing with fermentation of an enhanced strain of torula yeast to produce a highly, digestible, high-protein ingredient from wood that can be produced in industrial-scale quantities for food and feed. |
| Product Type | Animal Feed |
| Product(s) Manufactured | Sugars and lignin from forestry material. High protein ingredient for aquaculture and fish feed (SylPro®). Sylfeed and SylChem consortiums. |
| Value Proposition/Market Disruption | Arbiom seeks to address two critical issues facing animal agriculture: bulk protein sourcing and gastrointestinal health, by integrating a historically non-food material (wood) into the food supply chain. Arbiom’s Wood to Food approach enables the production of a nutritional, traceable, sustainable protein-rich ingredient for feed and food consumption. |
| Existing Customers and Off-Takes | Arbiom has partnership with Skretting, the leading salmon producer worldwide, as part of the company’s leadership of the SYLFEED consortium. Additionally, Arbiom is engaging with a target list of customers across the salmonid, swine and companion animals markets, which have all expressed positive interest in sampling SylPro. |
| Patents or Licenses or Verification | SylPro® |
History/Track Record - Arbiom
| Year Founded | 2012 |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Start-up/Pilot |
| Existing Facilities | Norton, VA - Process Operations Center; Durham, NC - Headquarters and applications center; Paris, France - Corporate Office; Arbiom’s Pilot plant has been operational for 4 years (located in Norton, Virginia). Arbiom Demonstration Program (plant construction) in progress located in Golbey, France on the site of Norske Skog paper mill |
| Planned Facilities | Over the next two years, (2019-2020), Arbiom hopes to build a demonstration plant, which they plan to have lead them to commercial scale facilities by 2022 and beyond. |
| Total $$ Invested in Company to Date | $65M |
| Primary Investors | Talis, Sochrastem, and other family offices |
| Current JVs | Arbiom has received grants from the EU BBI-JU (~$11M) and the French ADEME (~$4M) to execute the SYLFEED and SYLCHEM consortia, which include leading company partners from across the value chain from wood to food. The goal of these programs is to launch a demonstration program that will validate the superior biological value and improved performance of the high- protein product from wood for aquaculture feed. Partners in the SYLFEED Constortium include: 1. Biomass sourcing and industrial scale processing by Norske Skog Golbey, one of the leading newspring producers in Europe. 2. Biomass fractionation and conversion into microbial proteins by ARBIOM. 3. Phosphoric acid processing and industrial scale-up by Prayon, a global leader in phosphoric acid. 4. Advanced expertise in microbial proteins production by the Swedish research center, Processum. 5. Fish feed formulation and trials by Iceland research institute Matis 6. Cradle-to-cradle lifecycle analysis by Norwegian firm. 7. Final validation of the product by aquaculture companies, Laxa and Skretting (through the R&Dunit, Skretting Aquaculture Center), global leaders in fish feed production. Partners in the SYLCHEM Consortium include: 1. Biomass sourcing and industrial scale processing by Norske Skog Golbey, one of the leading newsprint producers in Europe. 2. Biomass fractionation by Arbiom. 3. Phosphoric acid processing and industrial scale-up by Prayon, a global leader in phosphoric acid. 4. Evaluation of Arbiom sugars in bioconversion processes to produce platform chemicals such as lactic acid, succinic acid and glycols by end-users including Myriant and Thyssenkrupp. 5. Evaluation of lignin conversion to polyols by Soprema, one of the world's leading companies in the field of waterproofing, roofing and insulation. |
Wood Resource - Arbiom
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Hardwood |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Dry |
| Feedstock Type | Wood, Other (cellulosic material) |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | Hardwood preferred (basis of current projects), other earlier stage projects with softwood and other lignocellulosic biomass. 100kT dry, other plant configurations possible. Sawdust and pulp chips are common basis in current designs, but technology can utilize entire logs with pre-processing. Low ash, low bark, low debris preferred. |
Facility Needs - Arbiom
| Utility and Property Requirements | Wastewater Treatment 410,000 gallons wastewater capacity needed (in spec design); some flexibility possible |
| Transportation Requirements | Highways trucking specified in current designs |
| Energy/Thermal Load | 62,000 MWH in spec design; some flexibility possible. |
| Acreage | ~15 acres, bounded plant area is 8 acres ; typical spec design includes three main buildings (A: 43,000sqft; B: 9,600sqft; C: 9,300). Roof height needed is 75-ft. |
Community/Maine Relevance - Arbiom
| Number of Jobs | ~90 jobs (65 plant operational positions + 15 office and support staff) ; Workforce needs/skill sets – General manufacturing experience (majority of positions) |
Financing
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Avantium print
Basic Information - Avantium
| Name of Company | Avantium |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, the Netherlands |
| Current Status | Operational |
| Public Trading Information | AMS: AVTX |
Technology/ Product - Avantium
| Type of Technology | YXY Technology - Plants to plastics technology converts plant-based sugars into a wide range of chemicals and plastics including PEF (polyethylene furanoate). Avantium announced a partnership in October, 2019 with R&F Chemical tocollaborate on developing a market for PEF in electronics and smart packaging in Korea. Step 1: The catalytic dehydration of the carbohydrate feedstock in an alcohol, such as methanol, to make alkoxymethyl furfural (RMF), methoxymethyl furfural (MMF) and levulinics like methyl levulinate. Step 2: The catalytic oxidation of RMF in acetic acid to make furandicarboxylicacid (FDCA). To make the biobased polymer PEF, a third catalytic step brings together FDCA and mono-ethylene glycol (MEG). DAWN Technology - concentrated acid low temperature method includes wood hydrolysis and main hydrolysis. Uses simulated moving bed where countercurrent flow of HCL and other process streams to fractionate woody biomass into mixed sugars, lignin, and a high purity glucose. Avantium aims to license its Dawn Technology to partners. RAY Technology - catalytically converts industrial sugars to plant-based MEG (mono-ethylene glycol). VOLTA Technology - electrocatalysis (combines chemical catalysts and direct use of electricity in chemical processes, to convert CO2 to chemical building blocks). SYNVINA (Joint Venture started between Avantium and BASF) - Avantium’s YXY technology is used in the Synvina JV (BASF is now out of this JV) |
| Product Type | Biobased Chemicals, Bioplastics, Sugars |
| Product(s) Manufactured | YXY Technology: cellulosic sugars to FDCA; FDCA + MEG to PEF (novel biopolymer). DAWN Technology: six carbon (C6) cellulosic sugars (glucose); Woody biomass to cellulosic sugars and lignin Mekong Technology: biobased bioplastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from mono ethylene glycol (MEG) from cellulosic sugars Volta: Conversion of CO2 to value-added platform chemicals Synvina: produces and markets FDCA from renewable resources on a pilot plant scale, and markets PEF. |
| Value Proposition/Market Disruption | Avantium is working to perfect multiple technologies that address several steps in the biobased value chain. |
| Existing Customers and Off-Takes | Avantium offers services and systems to more than 70 companies worldwide. The majority of those partnerships are protected under strict confidentiality agreements. Collaborations include: ELCoREL, ReTAPP, Scelio-4B, Biorizon (link) |
| Patents or Licenses or Verification | YXY Technology, Dawn Technology™. Synvina JV for YXY technology was originally a joint venture with BASF, which Avantium regained full ownership of on January 15, 2019. |
History/Track Record - Avantium
| Year Founded | 2000 |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Demonstration |
| Existing Facilities | R&D facilities in Amsterdam. SYNVINA - YXY Pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands has been operational since 2011. Pilot biorefinery for Zambezi technology (recently rebranded as DAWN) in Delfzijl, Netherlands opened July, 2018. This pilot plant has maximum capacity of processing 20 tons of dry wood chips per year. VOLTA - Lab phase |
| Planned Facilities | YXY Technology - First commercial plant planned in Antwerp. A delay to the start-up of the Synvina reference plant was announced in January 2018. In January 2020, Avantium announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Avantium Renewable Polymers, signed a letter of intent to built its flagship FDCA (chemical building block to plastics such as PEF) plant at Chemie Park in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. DAWN - Assuming successful results from the pilot biorefinery, Avantium estimates that the design of the commercial scale flagship biorefinery will commence in 2019, and the start-up of the plant in 2022 or 2023. Dawn Technology™ is on track for a commercial scale-up with partners AkzoNobel, RWE, Staatsbosbeheer and Chemport Europe. MEKONG - Avantium is gearing up for the Pilot Phase and is open to discuss various partnering opportunities. Plan to start construction of demonstration plant in 2018. |
| Total $$ Invested in Company to Date | 20 million euros into most recent plant (DAWN) set to enter operation in 2019. Investments in joint ventures and associates equal to 48.2 million euros as of December 31, 2017. |
| Primary Investors | Avantium raised 103 million euros in March 2017 IPO. |
Wood Resource - Avantium
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Unspecified |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Chips |
| Feedstock Type | Wood |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | DAWN - Flagship biorefinery is anticipated to have a capacity of 130 kilotons per year of dry matter wood chips. This can further be scaled up to 350 kilotons per year. SYNVINA - commercial scale plant to have capacity up to 50 kta. |
Facility Needs
Community/Maine Relevance - Avantium
Financing - Avantium
| CAPEX/OPEX of existing facility(ies) | CAPEX = 5 million according to 2017 Annual Report |
Other - Avantium
| Links to Public Presentations and Other Resources | June, 2017 General meeting of shareholders link 2016 Press Release with Full Year Results - link Biofuels Digest 2018 Multi-slide guide - link Bio-Based World News Article on Avantium Plant Opening - link Dawn Technology Press Kit - link content/uploads/2018/07/About-DAWN-Technology.pdf DAWN pilot opening press release: link Avantium IPO Press Release - link 2017 Annual Report (Financial metrics and company info): link Avantium retakes Synvina Jan 15, 2019: link DAWN Technology Video February 2019: link Avantium makes steady progress in challenging year: link Avantium to build FDCA flagship plant at Chemie Park Delfzijl, Netherlands: link Avantium R&F Chemical Collaboratioin: link |
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Biofine Technology, LLC print
Basic Information - Biofine Technology, LLC
| Name of Company | Biofine Technology, LLC |
| Headquarters | Current address: 229 Clark Rd. Brookline, MA 02445 ; Future address: Evaluating sites for permanent corporate HQ in Maine |
| Current Status | Operational |
Technology/ Product - Biofine Technology, LLC
| Type of Technology | Renewable chemical and fuel production via dilute acid hydrolysis of lignocellulose |
| Product Type | Biobased Chemicals, Biochar |
| Product(s) Manufactured | levulinic acid (LVAC) - Used for years in food, fragrance, and specialty chemical applications, levulinic acid is a non-toxic chemical precursor for cleaner-burning fuels. Derivatives can also be used to produce a number of exciting products from polycarbonate resins to biodegradable plastics to high-volume biodegradable herbicides. Co-products from levulinic acid production include formic acid, furfural, and char. |
| Value Proposition/Market Disruption | Biofine’s patented technology enables the low-cost production of renewable platform chemicals and drop-in fuels from lignocellulose. |
| Existing Customers and Off-Takes | Maine Heating Oil Company, European Chemical Companies |
| Patents or Licenses or Verification | 1) No. 8,138,371 - Protects ability to produce formic acid and levulinic acid simultaneously. A range of chemical reaction conditions that affords high conversion rates whilst avoiding degradation of formic acid. ; 2) No. 8,765,998 - Protects ability to produce formic acid and levulinic acid simultaneously. More narrowly defined conditions and reactor configuration. ; 3) No. 9,481,626 –Protects ability to produce formic acid and levulinic acid simultaneously in high yield – a range of reaction conditions in both single and multiple stage reactor configurations. ; 4) PCT/US – 2016/015605 (US and EPO) – Exclusively licensed from University of California, Davis. Novel chemistry developed to oxidize levulinic acid to 3-HPA and succinic acid in high yield. ; 5) PCT/FI2009/050311 - Exclusively licensed from Kemira Oyj. Separation and purification of co-products. 6) Multiple patents awarded and pending in US and internationally |
History/Track Record - Biofine Technology, LLC
| Year Founded | 20+ Biofine Inc. was started in 1987 as a technology holding company controlling the patents to the levulinic acid technology along with various license agreements to related derivatives. Skipping ahead, Between 2008 – 2015, Biofine Technology, LLC jointly developed its technology for commercial application in conjunction with numerous large international chemical and fuel companies. These developments have led to a number of new patents and commercial opportunity in a number of very attractive chemical and fuel markets. In 2017, Biofine unveiled a newly updated Pilot Plant at The University of Maine – FBRI in Old Town, ME. |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Demonstration PLANT (1tpd) |
| Existing Facilities | Old Town, Maine demonstration plant producing at 1 ton per day. |
| Planned Facilities | Biofine is implementing a two stage scale-up strategy. The first plant will require 33,000 dry mt per year. The second plant will require 82,500 dry mt per year. |
| Total $$ Invested in Company to Date | $30 to $35 million invested privately and through joint development agreements. In April 2019, Biofine received $750,000 from the Maine Technology Institute for scale-up in the state of Maine. |
| Primary Investors | Not publically available |
| Current JVs | Not publically available |
Wood Resource - Biofine Technology, LLC
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Mixed |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Chips |
| Feedstock Type | Wood The Biofine process can utilize any species of hardwood and softwood. The Biofine process does not have any limitations. Ideally, Biofine prefers 1⁄4 inch chips with as little bark as possible. |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | Biofine is implementing a two stage scale-up strategy. The first plant will require 33,000 dry mt per year. The second plant will require 82,500 dry mt per year. |
Facility Needs - Biofine Technology, LLC
| Utility and Property Requirements | Wastewater Treatment Wastewater output 9 - 13 MT/hr H @ 2000 ppm COD (estim.) Building/roof height = 40 ft. |
| Transportation Requirements | Highways, Rail, Deep Water Ports Rail and deep water port preferred. Highway and trucking access required. |
| Energy/Thermal Load | 1.2 MW (Stage One); 4 MW (Stage Two) |
| Acreage | 2 – 3 acres of land (Stage One); 3 – 4 acres (Stage Two) - This includes all feedstock storage, total plant footprint, power island, shipping docks, amenities, etc. |
Community/Maine Relevance - Biofine Technology, LLC
| Number of Jobs | A 100 dmt/day biorefinery creates approximately 160 total jobs (direct, indirect, and induced). The Stage Two 250 dmt/day plant will create around 175 total jobs. ; Workforce needs/skill sets – Chemical plant operations. The skill set required by the paper industry is exactly the same to operate a Biofine plant. |
Financing - Biofine Technology, LLC
| CAPEX/OPEX of existing facility(ies) | Not publically available |
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Fortress Global Enterprises, Inc. print
Basic Information - Fortress Global Enterprises, Inc.
| Name of Company | Fortress Global Enterprises, Inc. |
| Headquarters | Vancouver, Canada |
| Current Status | Operational |
| Public Trading Information | OTCMKTS: FTPLF |
Technology/ Product - Fortress Global Enterprises, Inc.
| Type of Technology | Dissolving pulp technology |
| Product Type | Biobased Chemicals |
| Product(s) Manufactured | hemicellulose, xylitol |
History/Track Record - Fortress Global Enterprises, Inc.
| Year Founded | Founded in May, 2006 in Vancouver Canada as Fortress Paper Ltd. |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Commercial, Demonstration |
| Existing Facilities | Close after its inception, Fortress purchased two paper assets from Mercer International, the Dresden mill, a wallpaper manufacturer in Germany and Landqart Mill, a supplier of security paper products based in Switzerland. In 2010 Fortress purchased a shuttered NBHK mill in Quebec from Fraser Papers and announced plans to enter the specialty cellulose and clean energy market with the conversion of the mill from commodity paper pulp to dissolving pulp. Fortress operates the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill in Thurso Quebec, which has a production capacity of 173,500 ADMT/yr of dissolving pulp |
| Planned Facilities | Once it completes its acquisition of S2G Biochemicals, Fortress Global intends to commission the construction of a demonstration plant to produce xylitol at its Fortress Specialty Cellulose ("FSC") Mill, utilizing proprietary process technologies, developed by S2G and Mondelēz International, Inc. The demonstration plant will use C5 sugars extracted from hemicellulose, which is a byproduct from the FSC Mill, to produce xylitol. The demonstration plant is expected to commence operation in 2020 and have a production capacity of up to 2,000 tonnes per year of xylitol. The FSC Mill is expected to produce sufficient C5 sugars annually to provide the feedstock for up to an additional 20,000 tonnes per year of xylitol production which Fortress intends to utilize by constructing an approximately $150 million full-scale plant following successful completion of the demonstration plant. When complete, the full-scale plant would be expected to generate up to $40 million of EBITDA annually. |
| Total $$ Invested in Company to Date | Fortress Xylitol Inc., the xylitol R&D arm of Fortress Global Enterprises received (Feb. 2019) $10M in funding from Natural Resources Canada to help build a xylitol and complementary bioproducts demonstration plant. Fortress acquired S2G Biochemicals in March 2018 |
| Primary Investors | Fortress completed a $46 million initial public offering and was listed on the TSX in July 2007. |
| Current JVs | The NBHK mill in Quebec was converted in 2011 from a commodity paper pulp to dissolving pulp facility. The conversion included a 24 MWH cogeneration plant (completed in 2013)and an agreement for green energy sales to Hydro Quebec. |
Wood Resource - Fortress Global Enterprises, Inc.
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Hardwood |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Roundwood, Chips |
| Feedstock Type | Wood |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | maple, aspen, poplar, birch are the primary raw material used by the Fortress Specialty Mill |
Facility Needs - Fortress Global Enterprises, Inc.
| Energy/Thermal Load | The NBHK mill in Quebec has a 24 MWH cogeneration plant |
Community/Maine Relevance
Financing
Other - Fortress Global Enterprises, Inc.
| Links to Public Presentations and Other Resources | Fortress Xylitol receives $10M from feds for demo plant (Feb. 2019): link$10m-from-feds-for-demo-plant-1100001561 Fortress Global partners with Mondolez on bioproducts at dissolving pulp mill (Dec. 2018): link Fortress Global acquires S2G Biochemicals and new xylitol project (March, 2018): link |
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Phyto-Charter Inc. print
Basic Information - Phyto-Charter Inc.
| Name of Company | Phyto-Charter Inc. |
| Headquarters | Eastport Maine USA 04631 |
| Current Status | Operational |
Technology/ Product - Phyto-Charter Inc.
| Type of Technology | Shipboard Heat Treating System: The Shipboard Heat Treating System operates as the vessel is being loaded, and treats the wood chip cargo in the same sequence of stowing and trimming. The system in the operational mode creates a near airtight chamber and recirculates the moisture laden air in a closed loop. The fully saturated air provides an efficient medium of heat transfer through the core of the woodchips. |
| Product Type | Other |
| Product(s) Manufactured | treated wood chips for export to European markets |
| Patents or Licenses or Verification | Phyto-Charter is Patent Pending PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US14/57299 Title INFUSED SATURATED AIR SHIPBOARD HEAT TREATMENT SYSTEM EPPG File No. 31893.2.P01PCT01of its third generation Infused Saturated Air Shipboard Phytosanitary Control System for Wood Chips. |
History/Track Record - Phyto-Charter Inc.
| Year Founded | Founded in 2008 |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Demonstration |
| Existing Facilities | Projects in Asia, Australia, and North America |
| Current JVs | Phyto-Charter developed the Shipboard Heat Treating System under a commission with the Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (University of Maine, Orono) together with its retained engineers at Nyle Systems of Brewer, Maine (www.nyle.com) and design builder Player Design, of Presque Isle, Maine. |
Wood Resource - Phyto-Charter Inc.
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Softwood |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Unspecified Technology takes wood with bark on |
| Feedstock Type | Wood |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | Mixed conifer bolewood. Bolewood production is processed from the delimbed, bark-on, whole tree stem. |
Facility Needs - Phyto-Charter Inc.
| Transportation Requirements | Deep Water Ports |
| Energy/Thermal Load | The heating apparatus may be operated in tandem and are comprised of two units per hold. Each furnace module consists of a 7,200,000 BTUH input gas furnace. All gas connections will be brought to a single point at the edge of the module for easy connection. Each heating apparatus is fitted with a 50,000 CFM blower capable of overcoming 50-60” static pressure in each module. The blower will be direct driven by a 600 HP blower. The blower motor speed will be controlled by a variable frequency drive. Each unit appends two air plenums: one each for supply and for return to balance the air flow through the furnaces and the duct connections. |
| Acreage | technology is made for incorporation in ship vessels |
Community/Maine Relevance
Financing
Other - Phyto-Charter Inc.
| Links to Public Presentations and Other Resources | Presentation by Player Design, Inc on Phyto Charter: link |
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PJ Woodlands, LLC print
Basic Information - PJ Woodlands, LLC
| Name of Company | PJ Woodlands, LLC |
| Headquarters | 901 Rio Grande Blvd., NW, Suite G-150 Albuquerque, NM 87104-2055 |
| Current Status | Operational |
Technology/ Product - PJ Woodlands, LLC
| Type of Technology | PJ Woodlands’ current efforts are focused on producing Althin™, a clean, dry, woody fiber which is a raw material used to manufacture Altree™, a wood-plastic composite sheeting. |
| Product Type | Composites |
| Product(s) Manufactured | Altree™: sheeting substrate to be used as a replacement for aluminum roadway guide signs and as a building material. Althin™; a clean, dry, wood fiber made from wood chips and woody biomass. Althin™ vertically integrates the sourcing of the wood fiber used to manufacture Altree™. Althin™ sources the wood chips and/or biomass from local harvesters, mill operators or thinning contractors. |
| Value Proposition/Market Disruption | PJ Woodlands claims there is no comparable product available for purchase in the marketplace, and that the Altree product is significantly cheaper and safer than aluminum. |
| Patents or Licenses or Verification | Two utility patents exist for the manufacturing equipment and process of Altree™; Letters Patent No. 7,914,275, Apparatus for Making High Density Wood and Plastic Composites issued March 29, 2011 and Letters Patent No. 9,573,310, Method for Making a Durable Wood-Plastic Panel Upon Which Plastic Films May Be Readily and Securely Adhered issued on February 21, 2017. The manufacturer of the extrusion equipment used to produce Altree™ has committed the rights to the Altree™ extrusion manufacturing equipment to PJ Woodlands. |
History/Track Record - PJ Woodlands, LLC
| Year Founded | Founded in 2015 |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Small Commercial In process of scaling up across U.S |
| Existing Facilities | The pilot plant was used for R&D and to create sufficient material for deployment testing by the USFS, 3M, Forest Products Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. Millions of dollars of purchase orders went unfilled in years past prior to PJ Woodlands acquiring the IP. |
| Total $$ Invested in Company to Date | PJ Woodlands structured, and is finalizing, an equity and debt raise. PJ Woodlands has been offered up to $25,000,000 in industrial development bonds from a state agency and $15,000,000, or more, from two different counties and a municipality in a competing state. |
| Primary Investors | Primary investors in PJ Woodlands are strategic industry partners that will utilize and distribute Altree™ and Native American Tribes seeking to develop green, manufacturing jobs for their members. |
| Current JVs | Project Altree™ was designed and created in conjunction with the USFS and the USFS Forest Products Laboratory |
Wood Resource - PJ Woodlands, LLC
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Softwood (technology can accommodate hardwood with slight modifications to the system process) |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Chips (similar to what would be produced by a Vermeer chipper with a 10# mesh screen). Less than 10% bark content |
| Feedstock Type | Wood |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | Wood chips should ideally be less than ½” in size, with less than 10% bark and needles and a moisture content of 20% or less. Althin™ is capable of processing 26,280 tons of woody biomass annually, the equivalent of approximately 1,095 truck loads (24 tons each). PJ Woodlands is finalizing its plans to install a single Altree™ extrusion line capable of producing 1,340 pounds of Altree™ per hour and adding subsequent lines thereafter. Each Altree™ line will produce approximately $19,000,000 in annual sales at wholesale prices. Additional lines are easily added to any existing Altree™ manufacturing facility. The extrusion equipment is custom engineered for Altree™ and PJ Woodlands has the exclusive worldwide rights to this equipment. |
Facility Needs - PJ Woodlands, LLC
| Transportation Requirements | Highways |
| Energy/Thermal Load | . The electric load requirements are 650 amps per Altree™ extruder and 100 amps for the Althin™ 3TPH fiber production equipment. |
| Acreage | A building to house the Altree™ manufacturing line should encompass at least 20,000 sq. ft. The building must be at least 175 feet in length This facility requires a minimum of three (3) to five (5) acres to accommodate scaling to six (6) Altree™ lines in the future, primarily to accommodate truck traffic, the building site, parking and storage of raw materials. |
Community/Maine Relevance - PJ Woodlands, LLC
| Number of Jobs | The Altree™ manufacturing plant will initially create 24 direct jobs including management positions and will increase to 39 direct jobs within five years with two Altree™ lines in production. The Althin™ manufacturing plant will initially create seven (7) direct jobs by year two and increase to 11 direct jobs within three years. All of the aforementioned jobs will be full-time jobs with benefits. Indirect forestry jobs are difficult to predict as many variables exist. We estimate that at least 30 to 50 indirect jobs will be created or retained by local harvesters. In addition, indirect service providers and/or contractors will be necessary. |
Financing
Other
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SEKAB E-Technology print
Basic Information - SEKAB E-Technology
| Name of Company | SEKAB E-Technology |
| Headquarters | Domsjö, Sweden |
| Current Status | Operational |
Technology/ Product - SEKAB E-Technology
| Type of Technology | Bioethanol processing technology. Sekab's E-Technology AB fractionates biomass into lignin and cellulosic sugars that can be furether processed to bioethanol. Sekab also has technology to process ethanol into chemicals and biofuels. The CelluAPP suire of technologies includes CelluCond, CelluCase, CelluSugar, CelluTreat, CelluFuel. |
| Product Type | Liquid Biofuels, Biobased Chemicals |
| Product(s) Manufactured | Base chemicals: acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, acetic acid; bioethanol:wash water, cooling agents, technical ethanol; biofuel: EDD95 for heavy transportation, additive for local production of ED 95, Ethanol for low blending, custom made fueling solutions; biobased chemicals: BIO-acetaldehyde (ISCC+ and Kosher certified, BIO-acetic acid, BIO-ethylacetate |
| Existing Customers and Off-Takes | RETAPP uses Sekab's CelluAPP technology combined with MetGen'sMetzyme solutions and Avantium's YXY technology to rethink plastic packaging. |
History/Track Record - SEKAB E-Technology
| Year Founded | Founded in 1985 |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Demonstration Sekab is demonstrating the Celluapp technology |
| Existing Facilities | Sekab technology used in biorefinery in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden |
| Planned Facilities | Sekab E-Technology will provide the technology for "the Nordfuel biorefinery planned to open in Northern Finland in 2021… Nordfuel will be a full-scale biorefinery, producing bioethanol and biogas for the transport sector, lignin to fuel the power plant in Haapavesi, as well as manure." - Jim Lane, Biofuels Digest. Led by Global Bioenergies, the Rewofuel EU consortium's objective is to complete industrial demonstration of the conversion of softwood residues into high performance gasoline and jetfuel. |
| Total $$ Invested in Company to Date | EU 19.7m invested in Rewofuel project, 70% financed by the EU via the H2020 program. |
Wood Resource - SEKAB E-Technology
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Softwood |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Residuals |
| Feedstock Type | Wood, Agricultural waste |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | Sekab cellulose potential includes wood chips, switchgrass, wheat straw, poplar, corn stover, paper, corn, and sugar cane bagass |
Facility Needs
Community/Maine Relevance - SEKAB E-Technology
| Number of Jobs | Biorefinery in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden employs 80. |
Financing
Other - SEKAB E-Technology
| Links to Public Presentations and Other Resources | Biofuels Digest April, 2019: link |
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T&D Wood Energy print
Basic Information - T&D Wood Energy
| Name of Company | T&D Wood Energy |
| Headquarters | Sanford, ME, 04073 |
| Current Status | Operational |
Technology/ Product - T&D Wood Energy
| Type of Technology | Wood pellet manufacturing technology. T&D is looking to improve efficienty of pellet manufacturing and logistics to end customers, which would include a supply chain optimization platform for feedstock and finished product deliveries, which would be scalable for the entire forest products industry. |
| Product Type | Solid Wood Fuel |
| Product(s) Manufactured | wood pellets |
History/Track Record - T&D Wood Energy
| Year Founded | Established in 2018 |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Small Commercial |
| Existing Facilities | Sanford, ME |
| Primary Investors | Sanford Mill financed with the help of the Small Business Administration amd SIS Bank. T&D Wood Energy also received $200,000 of funding through the U.S Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for America Program to purchase, construct and install solar panels or mechanisms to convert wood into pellets -- MaineBiz |
Wood Resource - T&D Wood Energy
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Softwood (Pine, Hmlock, Spruce, Fir) |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Green |
| Feedstock Type | Wood |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | The proposed implementation of a modular, efficient manufacturing process will be scaled to match an existing facility production capacity, or an existing harvesting base and sustainable harvest level in a very condensed area, to optimize total delivered raw material costs. Each modular section would be anticipated to require at least 50,000 tons of green raw material. |
Facility Needs - T&D Wood Energy
| Utility and Property Requirements | Unspecified No specific requirements other than availability of feedstock, although existing infrastructure (20’ or higher industrial buildings, 3-phase electricity upwards of 2,000A service, thermal energy in form of hot air, water or steam, wood yard receiving and processing capability) should be utilized as available |
Community/Maine Relevance - T&D Wood Energy
| Number of Jobs | Proposed implementation would create at least 10 jobs, in a highly automated, clean and efficient manufacturing environment. Entry level and existing skillsets can be trained and utilized in the facility. Hands on, maintenance and troubleshooting minded, interested in sustainability and forestry are a plus. |
Financing - T&D Wood Energy
| CAPEX/OPEX of existing facility(ies) | Cost of Sanford Mill Project = $5.7 million |
Other - T&D Wood Energy
| Links to Public Presentations and Other Resources | Wood Bioenergy blog 2017: link |
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Velocys print
Basic Information - Velocys
| Name of Company | Velocys |
| Headquarters | 2603 Augusta Drive Suite 1175 Houston, Texas 77075 |
| Current Status | Operational. The Velocys Oklahoma plant suspended operations in September, 2018 following a leak at the plant. |
| Public Trading Information | OTCMKTS: OXFCF Velocys is also publicly traded on the AIM index in London (LSE:VLS) |
Technology/ Product - Velocys
| Type of Technology | Fischer-Tropsch (FT) is the main chemical process. Velocys biorefineries convert residues from forestry operations into renewable transportation fuels. The Velocys process makes diesel and jet fuel through gasification and catalytic synthesis. |
| Product Type | Liquid Biofuels |
| Product(s) Manufactured | Renewable diesel and naphtha |
| Byproducts for Co-location | The Velocys preference is to co-locate with a facility that can provide chipped material to the biorefinery sourced from RFS compliant timberland. |
| Value Proposition/Market Disruption | Unlike some other renewable fuels, FT-derived fuels are fully compatible with current engines and fueling infrastructure, and they can be blended at high percentages with conventional fuels. Velocys claims their fuels significantly decrease greenhouse gas and other emissions, relative to fossil fuels. |
| Existing Customers and Off-Takes | Velocys is a member of the Envia JV, is supplying its technology and equipment to the Red Rock Biorefinery and is developing two other biorefinery projects. The off-take customers vary by project. • Envia landfill gas project near Oklahoma City: NGL Energy Partners and other confidential customers. (Envia suspended operations) • Red Rock Biorefinery in Lakewood, OR: FedEx and Southwest Airlines. As of May, 2019, FedEx will purchase half of the 15 million GPY aviation biofuel produced at Red Rocks Biofuels. • Bayou Fuels Biorefinery in Natchez, MS: Confidential • UK Waste to Fuel Project: British Airways and Shell |
| Patents or Licenses or Verification | Velocys maintains a large intellectual property portfolio in the field of smaller scale microchannel FT technology. They have been granted 124 US patents to date and have a further 36 applications in various phases of examination for the field of advanced biorefineries. In addition to patents of its own origin, Velocys has access to a further suite of reactor, catalyst, and process patents under license from Battelle Memorial Institute through a series of agreements that remain in force. Within the granted patent portfolio, Velocys owns several key patents that apply to most commercial approaches to a Fischer-Tropsch-based fuels- producing operation. As Velocys has advanced its biorefineries in the US and UK, the team has developed further innovations which have been cataloged and is now in the process of being prepared for filing as further patent applications. |
History/Track Record - Velocys
| Year Founded | Founded in 2001 |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Commercial |
| Existing Facilities | Velocys Oklahoma City plant is a product of the Envia and Velocys JV. They also participate in the development of three new biorefinery projects. Key details of these project are: Red Rock Biofuels In May 2018, Velocys received a “notice to proceed” to commence manufacturing of the Fischer-Tropsch reactors and catalyst for the Red Rock Biofuels LLC (“RRB”) biorefinery that will be located in Lakeview, Oregon, USA. RRB has commenced construction of the biorefinery, which will produce 15 million gallons per year of low-carbon, renewable fuels. Velocys’ role will be as a licensor for its technology to the project. RRB’s Lakeview project is expected to deliver around $15 million revenues to Velocys during the construction and early operation stages of the plant, and an additional $30 million or more over the life of the biorefinery. Over $6 million has already been invoiced and received from RRB. Enough jet fuel will be produced by the plant to fuel 1,800 round trips per year from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco. RRB has in place contracts from several airlines to purchase 100 percent of the jet fuel produced each year. RRB’s success is a significant milestone for the sector, one that further demonstrates the market’s appetite for renewable transportation fuels. The building of this plant is a validation of the commercial viability and bankability of Velocys’ technology. The licensing of Velocys’ technology to RRB is complementary to the company’s strategy to develop its own biorefineries. |
| Planned Facilities | Bayou Fuels Project Velocys’ first US biorefinery using woody biomass as feedstock will be located in Natchez, Adams County, Mississippi. Velocys has been offered an attractive package of economic development incentives to locate the plant at this advantaged site. The biorefinery will produce approximately 25 million GPY of renewable fuels from approximately 1,000 dry tons per day of woody biomass feedstock. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) invited Velocys to submit a Phase II Application to obtain a loan guarantee for a commercial-scale renewable fuels plant. The loan guarantee could apply to up to $200 million of debt as part of the total installed cost of the project. The USDA loan guarantee would significantly reduce the technology risk for the debt providers. Velocys has engaged a global leading project finance bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), as the lender of record and as its financial advisor. Velocys is proceeding through the final phase of the loan guarantee process. Work is underway on Velocys’ integrated technology demonstration with its gasification partner TRI. The company and its engineering partner are continuing to work through the process of cost and value engineering to optimize plant capital cost, operating costs, carbon intensity and the total returns from the project. UK waste to jet fuel project In June 2018, Velocys announced that £4.9m of funding has been secured to deliver the next development phase of the waste-to-sustainable jet fuel project that the company is developing in the UK. As part of the funding package, a grant of £434k has been secured from the Department for Transport under the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition. The award of this grant, together with ongoing policy support provided by the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, will help this innovative waste-to-fuels project bring jobs and clean growth to the UK. The project is being developed with the financial and technical support of Shell and British Airways. In July, 2019, Velocys announced that it raised $10 million for their Mississippi Biorefinery project. |
| Total $$ Invested in Company to Date | confidential |
| Primary Investors | Velocys is publicly traded on the AIM index in London (LSE:VLS). The following investors held 3% or more of the issued share capital of Velocys on 8 May 2018: - The Ervington Investments Limited = 25.02% ; -Lansdowne Partners = 22.98% ; Janus Henderson Investors = 11.87% ; CQS Asset Management Limited = 9.08% ; Invesco Asset Management = 7.14% ; Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Mgt = 4.15% |
| Current JVs | Velocys is a member of one JV, Envia. Velocys and Waste Management are members of this joint venture which was set up to produce renewable fuels and chemicals from landfill gas and natural gas. The plant is located adjacent to Waste Management’s East Oak landfill site. Finished products (renewable waxes, diesel and naphtha) have been produced and sold to product offtakers. In October 2017, the plant reached an operational capacity approaching 3 million gallons/year. The performance data that are available from the commercial scale ENVIA plant (for example, methane selectivity, carbon monoxide conversion, activity index and liquid production) meet the performance expectations set using models based on laboratory and pilot studies. Targets for the conversion of syngas to FT products and the yield of liquid products were achieved within 12 hours of the first start-up of the FT modules. The RINs (Renewable Identification Numbers) produced at the plant have been verified by an independent third-party auditor, under the Quality Assurance Program (QAP) approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The verification of RINs at ENVIA itself represents a significant commercial validation of Velocys’ technology. The Velocys technology being used at ENVIA will be deployed in our future biorefineries. |
Wood Resource - Velocys
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Mixed |
| Wood Feedstock Specifications | Chips Velocys' preference is for chipped feedstock with average 1 cubic inch by volume. Either the facility providing the chips will dry it to ~10% moisture or the biofrefinery will perform that process. |
| Feedstock Type | Wood |
| Feedstock Notes and Quantity | 350,000 – 700,000 dry short tons/year depending upon capacity. |
Facility Needs - Velocys
| Utility and Property Requirements | Unspecified The biorefinery would include its own waste water treatment facility |
| Transportation Requirements | Rail The proposed biorefinery must have access to rail for transporting 25 – 50 MM gallons/year of renewable fuel, and to a natural gas transmission pipeline since natural gas is a required source of thermal energy. Ideally, the biorefinery would be located at a site with an existing biomass boiler which could supply renewable power and high temperature steam |
| Energy/Thermal Load | Primary energy sources will be natural gas and renewable power. Depending the plant capacity and configuration, the energy requirements can vary significantly. Preliminary estimates are….. Natural Gas: 3-6 MMSCFD ; Renewable Power: 10-30 MW ; Steam: 200K-500K lb/hr of high pressure steam |
| Acreage | 75 – 100+ acres |
Community/Maine Relevance - Velocys
| Number of Jobs | 75+ highly skilled/compensated positions in the biorefinery. Several hundred FTEs required in the woody biomass supply chain to provide the required 1,000 – 2,000 dry tons/day of feedstock Workforce needs/skill sets: Biorefinery positions will include management, professional/engineering and skilled operator roles that require skill sets comparable to running paper mills or other large, continuously operated facilities. Biomass harvesting positions will be the same as for paper mills and other biomass conversion facilities |
Financing - Velocys
| CAPEX/OPEX of existing facility(ies) | Confidential |
| RIN Requirements | Fuels made from eligible feedstocks and synthesized using the FT process are eligible for the highest level of Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits in the US under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Wood must be qualified under the EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Velocys says it is not clear if sufficient forestry resources that meet this criterion exist in Maine to support a biorefinery. For example, roundwood must be sourced from non-federal lands from plantations established prior to December 19, 2007 and actively managed. As most of the timberland in Maine is natural stands, this is a limiting factor. In contrast, slash can be sourced from naturally regenerating stands. |
Other - Velocys
| Links to Public Presentations and Other Resources | Biofuels Digest 2018 Multi-Slide Guide to Velocys: link Velocys Biorefinery Site Confirmed: link Biofuels Digest on Velocys at Red Rock Biofuels: link Velocys Presentation from ABLC 2018: link Velocys on developing funding for UK Waste-to-Jetfuel Project: link Biofuels Digest on Envia Suspended Operations: link Biofuels Digest July, 2019:link |
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Woodly Oy print
Basic Information - Woodly Oy
| Name of Company | Woodly Oy |
| Headquarters | Otaniemi, Espoo, Finland |
| Current Status | Operational |
Technology/ Product - Woodly Oy
| Product Type | Nanocellulose |
| Product(s) Manufactured | wood-based transparent packaging material |
| Value Proposition/Market Disruption | Woodly is able to make a wood-based transparent packaging material in an industry where achieving transparency has proven very difficult. According to a Pöyry (consulting company) lifecycle analysis, Woodly products are carbon-neutral. |
| Existing Customers and Off-Takes | Woodly is currently developing their products with their industrial partners (unknown). |
History/Track Record - Woodly Oy
| Year Founded | 2011 |
| Level of Technology Deployment Reached | Start-up/Pilot Woodly Oy is a developer, as opposed to a manufacturer |
Wood Resource - Woodly Oy
| Generation of Feedstock used | 2nd Gen Woodly uses |
| Type of Wood Feedstock | Softwood |
| Feedstock Type | Wood Woodly products are made from FSC-certified forests biomass |
Facility Needs - Woodly Oy
| Utility and Property Requirements | Unspecified |
| Transportation Requirements | Unspecified |
Community/Maine Relevance
Financing - Woodly Oy
| RIN Requirements | None |
Have questions? Please reach out to info@biobasedmaine.org.
This database was developed through sponsorship from the Maine Technology Institute,
and with input from FOR/Maine project partners
