PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES, MARKET OUTLOOK
Businesswire | April 13, 2023
Cemvita, the standard for biosolutions in the energy industry, announced the opening of a pilot plant in Houston, TX. The plant marks a landmark step in the development of technology for using CO2 emissions as feedstock to produce valuable biocommodities including fertilizer, plastic, methane, and fuels. The opening of the pilot plant also marks the launch of Cemvita’s eCO2 business as a wholly owned company under Cemvita.
Boasting a substantial volume of 55,000 liters, the plant is currently producing eCO2TM Oil, a cutting-edge microbially-produced alternative to soybean oil. The company is already shipping samples of eCO2 products to customers including leading renewable fuels companies and plastics manufacturers. The eCO2 company is already in pre-FEED engineering on full commercial scale designs.
The biofuels industry is currently facing feedstock shortages and price fluctuations due to growing season risks. In contrast, eCO2 plants can provide reliable feedstock production with minimal land and electricity needs, without relying on hydrogen or sunlight like algae. Furthermore, the output of eCO2 plants will be carbon-negative and are aiming to be cost competitive with existing crop based HEFA feedstocks and fuels, which is a crucial factor for the successful adoption of any new biomanufacturing process.
Cemvita’s eCO2 biomanufacturing platform uses engineered microbes that absorb and convert carbon dioxide into essential feedstocks and finished products needed to build a renewable future. The plant operates at ambient temperature and pressure and requires very little electricity. The eCO2 platform is flexible and designed to produce reliable results in harsh operating environments. From discrete manufacturing to petrochemical facilities, the process can be scaled and customized for any company looking to make their current processes energy transition-ready.
“The energy transition requires completely new, cost-effective approaches for heavy industry,” said Charlie Nelson, COO of Cemvita. “We built this next-generation pilot plant in response to strong demand from offtake partners who are actively seeking sustainable solutions to the HEFA feedstock shortage.”
Traditional biofuels, including renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, have relied on oils derived from crops, such as soybean and corn, as well as recycled vegetable oils. As demand grows for petroleum-free alternatives, feedstock is in short supply and must compete with food markets. Crops of soybeans, sugar, and corn use huge swaths of land, and the raw materials require extensive refining — two factors that impede the processes from being sustainable.
Cemvita’s eCO2 platform bypasses the food versus fuel debate with a low-cost, renewable feedstock with no carbon footprint attached. One eCO2 plant at full commercial scale can annually replace the oils produced from 200,000 acres of soybean farmland.
“Our pilot plant represents the most cost-effective way of producing chemical feedstocks with all of the economic benefits of agriculturally-derived equivalent and none of the harmful environmental impacts,” said Moji Karimi, CEO and co-founder of Cemvita. “It’s an ambitious first step in providing heavy industry customers with climate-positive alternatives. We’re making it possible for our partners to take part in the energy transition and reach decarbonization goals – without cutting into margin.”
About Cemvita
Cemvita is the standard for biosolutions in the energy industry.
Nature-inspired technologies are humanity’s most powerful allies in the fight against climate change. The microbes we engineer at Cemvita can fully decarbonize the most intensive industrial processes and massively shrink their overall environmental footprint.
Our field-tested biotechnologies can be seamlessly integrated into existing workflows and infrastructure. Cemvita’s solutions address sustainable natural resource extraction, carbon negative chemical production, and the closed-loop renewal of waste as feedstock.
With Cemvita, the sustainable choice is also the economical choice. All of Cemvita’s solutions are cost competitive or cheaper than traditional alternatives. Whether it’s metal and mineral extraction or the production of hydrogen and biofuels, Cemvita partners with the world's largest companies to accelerate the energy transition.
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CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
Globenewswire | May 23, 2023
LanzaTech Global, Inc. an innovative carbon capture and transformation company that converts waste carbon into materials such as sustainable fuels, fabrics, packaging, and other products that people use in their daily lives, and Plastipak Packaging, Inc. (“Plastipak”), a global leader in the design, manufacture, and recycling of plastic containers, announce they have successfully produced PPKNatura, the world’s first polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin made from captured carbon emissions. The resin is suitable for food, personal care, and pharmaceutical packaging, as well as other non-packaging applications.
PET is a polymer that is molded into plastic bottles and containers for packaging foods and beverages, personal care products, and many other consumer goods. PET resin comprises 30% monoethylene glycol (MEG) traditionally derived from petroleum. PPKNatura leverages CarbonSmart™ MEG from LanzaTech’s CCT process. It retains the technical properties of virgin fossil PET while carrying a lower carbon footprint. Thus, PPKNatura can be a used for traditional food and pharmaceutical grade packaging and other sensitive applications such as hot-fill, refillables, and applications where a low crystallinity is required. Non-packaging PET applications can also take advantage of this ground-breaking resin.
PPKNatura resin reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and its production process does not require land or food resources. In addition, packaging made out of this material can be fully recycled at the end of its life, keeping the carbon in a circular material cycle.
Leading Swiss retailer Migros and its subsidiary Mibelle Group were the first to use this PET in in-house brand packaging, including in creating PET bottles for smoothies and the containers of household cleaners that also contained LanzaTech ethanol as a key ingredient.
“LanzaTech’s commercial technology is designed to enable our partners in diverse industries to reduce their carbon footprint and overall environmental impact,” said Jennifer Holmgren, Chief Executive Officer of LanzaTech. “Our partnership with Plastipak is critical to demonstrating what is possible today. Today we are producing food- and pharmaceutical-grade packaging and are well on our way to creating a more sustainable future for all.”
LanzaTech’s CCT technology works like a brewery in which proprietary bacteria consume pollution and convert it into CarbonSmart chemicals. Those chemicals are then turned into products ranging from clothing and laundry detergent to sustainable aviation fuel. Using a variety of waste feedstocks, LanzaTech’s technology platform is creating a future where consumers are not dependent on virgin fossil inputs for everything in their daily lives.
“We are delighted to partner with LanzaTech to achieve early progress in our ambition to produce PET with lower environmental impacts. The use of CarbonSmart MEG is a first and important milestone in our journey toward this goal, and combined with use of renewable electricity in the production process, has contributed to significant progress in indicators such as carbon reduction and use of fossil resources. PPKNatura resin is one element of Plastipak’s ESG program, which among other initiatives, targets the extension of our product circularity with the intent of supporting customers in reducing their Scope 3 emissions. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership with LanzaTech as we work together to achieve our long-term goals,” said Pedro Martins, Executive Managing Director Europe of Plastipak.
About LanzaTech
Headquartered in Skokie, IL, LanzaTech Global, Inc. captures waste carbon and transforms it into materials such as sustainable fuels, fabrics, packaging, and other products. Using a variety of waste feedstocks, LanzaTech’s technology platform is contributing to a future where consumers are not dependent on virgin fossil feedstocks for everything in their daily lives. LanzaTech’s goal is to challenge and change the way the world uses carbon, enabling a new circular carbon economy where carbon is reused rather than wasted, skies and oceans are kept clean, and pollution becomes a thing of the past.
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PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES, MARKET OUTLOOK
PRNewswire | May 30, 2023
Chevron Lummus Global LLC announced a recent contract award from TAQAT Development Company for a new 75,000 TPA needle coke/synthetic graphite complex in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia. Under the agreement, Chevron Lummus Global will provide pilot plant testing, licensing, basic design, and additional engineering and operations support. The feedstock will be supplied by Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Company (Petro Rabigh).
The grassroots complex will utilize CLG's two-step coking process to convert feedstock streams, which would otherwise be used as fuel oil, into high-quality needle coke, and synthetic graphite. This process helps to reduce environmental impact by repurposing feedstock streams that would otherwise be considered lower-value or waste materials into valuable products, contributing to a more sustainable approach to resource utilization.
CLG's proprietary technology is the result of decades of continual refinement and accumulated data from over 60 unit designs and commercial installations. It has proven to be a superior option for converting heavy feedstocks into in-demand products like needle coke and synthetic graphite. This contract award highlights CLG's expertise and leadership in the field of advanced carbon products.
About Chevron Lummus Global
Chevron Lummus Global (CLG), a joint venture between Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Lummus Technology, is a leading process technology licensor for refining hydroprocessing technologies and alternative source fuels, as well as a global leader in catalyst system supply. CLG offers the most complete bottom-of-the-barrel solution for upgrading heavy oil residues. Our research and development experts are continuously seeking advancements in technology and catalysts that will improve operating economics for your next project.
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