WASHINGTON,
Nov. 11, 2015 - Vertimass recently received third-party validation for its technology that converts ethanol to hydrocarbons for
blending with gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. The validation enabled the
company to gain a $2 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Bioenergy Technology Office that will allow it to move forward with a two-year
plan to scale up to a commercial level.
The technology,
developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, uses novel catalysts that can
produce renewable chemicals and convert a wide range of alcohols into
hydrocarbon blend stocks that can then be used in existing gasoline, diesel and
jet engines without modifications. The technology offers a new pathway to
enhance the use of biomass-derived renewable fuels, says Vertimass.
“We are
excited to clear this critical milestone with the Department of Energy and can
now take the next step toward scaling up this novel technology,” says Charles
Wyman, Vertimass president and chief executive officer. “This technology
validation further proves the effectiveness and novelty of this technology, and
through this DOE award, we intend to work with Technip to ready the technology
for introduction into existing and emerging ethanol facilities within two
years, thereby significantly expanding the market for renewable transportation
fuels.”
Technip
is a Paris-based company that carries out project
management, engineering and construction for the energy industry.
Vertimass
says that the new one-step process “can be easily bolted onto existing ethanol
production facilities, resulting in low capital costs” and that, due to a
low pressure and moderate temperature reaction, there is no need to add
hydrogen or other additives. Vertimass expects its catalyst-based technology to
offer ethanol producers the ability to shift production in response to market
changes. The company say its new process will break the blend wall that now
impedes further ethanol sales and open up new alcohol markets for heavy-duty
vehicles and air travel as well as chemicals. “This technology has the potential
to change the transportation fuels landscape and has tremendously positive
environmental impacts,” says Wyman.
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