Advances in Sustainable Sugar Technology

Transcription

1 Advances in Sustainable Sugar Technology 10 th Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology Montreal, June 2013 Fred Moesler, Chief Technology Officer

2 Renmatix: The Bridge To Renewable Materials Cellulosic sugars are building blocks for biochemicals and biofuels Renmatix has developed the Plantrose process to produce cellulosic sugars at a competitive price Sugars enable renewable materials Competitive economics enables value chain Key to our advantage over traditional routes, is Supercritical Hydrolysis (SCH) Upstream Upstream Downstream Downstream Biomass Conversion Technology Chemicals & Fuels Economic Disruption Enabled By New, Supercritical Hydrolysis, Technology 2

3 What Is Supercritical Hydrolysis? Moving beyond traditional routes Supercritical hydrolysis Supercritical hydrolysis is a chemical process in which water in its supercritical state is used to convert biomass into cellulosic sugar. Water becomes supercritical at around 374 Deg C and 221 bar, known as its critical point where distinct liquid and gas phases do not exist. Under these conditions, water serves as a solvent extracting C6 sugar (glucose) from cellulose plant matter. Lignin remains as a solid particle. Hydrolyzing Cellulose with Super Critical Water Water as solvent and catalyst Heat and Pressure Economically attractive Parity with food based, today Supercritical water has a history of application in nuclear processes, such as heat transfer and integration, but has not widely been explored in biomass conversion. Private company, Renmatix, based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has developed a supercritical hydrolysis technology to convert a range of non-food biomass feedstocks into cellulosic sugars for application in biochemicals and biofuels. It has a demonstration facility in Georgia currently capable of processing three dry tons of hardwood biomass into cellulosic sugar daily. Supercritical hydrolysis is considered a method of green chemistry for using water as the solvent rather than hazardous substances. Other methods of extracting sugar from biomass include enzymatic hydrolysis and acid hydrolysis. 3

4 Plantrose Process (Fast & Flexible Platform) Feedstock Very Fast Reaction Products Biomass Hemicellulose Hydrolysis reactor Hemicellulose solid/liquid separation Xylose liquor Woody Biomass Sugars Agricultural Residues Supercritical Hydrolysis (SCH) reactor SCH solid/liquid separation Glucose liquor Energy Grasses Waste Sources Lignin 4

5 Value From Renewable Feedstocks Is Unlocked By Conversion Technology That Meets Key Criteria 1. End product must meet downstream partner targets In both quality and cost 2. Cost Effective = All in Economics Not just Operating Expense, or Capital Expense, ALL in 3. Conversion process should be flexible, ideally biomass agnostic Not everything grows everywhere Customer selection of location can/will determine feedstock choice 4. Technology must be scalable. Coolest Technology In The World Is Useless If End Product Is Too Expensive 5

6 Renmatix Unlocks Large Scale Cost-Competitive Cellulosic Volumes With Targeted Investments KOP, World-Class Analytical Bioflex Conversion Unit Kennesaw D3K Demo 6

7 Industry Leaders & Senior U.S. Policy Makers, Recognize The Impact Of Commercializing Plantrose Technology Renmatix honored to host visits from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack & Senator Bob Casey Commissioned our BCU Opened our Analytical Labs Awards from leading organizations in the chemical & energy industry, selected from international peers IChemE Bioprocessing Platts Global Energy Fast Company - World s Most Innovative CERA Energy Innovation Pioneers World Markets Sustainable Biofuels 7

8 Renmatix Technology Has Been Validated By Industry Leading Strategic Investors & Project Partners Market leading industry engagement Progressive approach and low cost feedstock $750M MOU signed for multi-project financing Series C: Top Three Private Placements In The Biobased Industry For

9 Licensing Renmatix Conversion Technology Will Enable Upstream Partners To Move Downstream 9

10 Summary Renmatix Has Combined The: Team, Technology, Economics, And Strategic Partners To Enable Expansion & Acceleration Of The Bio-Based Industry Thank you. 10