In the United States (US), cellulose-to-sugars technology developer Blue Biofuels, Inc., and compatriot technology developer Vertimass, LLC, have announced the creation of a joint venture partnership to employ Vertimass’ proprietary Consolidated Alcohol Deoxygenation and Oligomerization (CADO) technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable propane and butane (bioLPG) as co-products from ethanol.
This new company, VertiBlue Fuels LLC, is equally owned by Blue Biofuels Inc. and Vertimass.
VertiBlue Fuels aims to build a facility in Florida (FL), which is anticipated to produce an estimated 10 million (US) gallons (≈ 37.85 million litres) of SAF and 2 million gallons (≈ 7.57 million litres) of bioLPG in its first year.
Upon completion, the Partnership will expand SAF production to approximately 70 million gallons (≈ 265 million litres) and bioLPG to 14 million gallons (53 million litres) annually.
I am very enthusiastic about this partnership with Vertimass. It confirms our dedication to pioneering sustainable solutions in the aviation industry and producing biofuels. Our joint venture’s objective is not only to produce high-quality SAF but also to contribute significantly to reducing carbon emissions. We are excited about the positive impact this project will have on both the environment and the aviation sector, and it is a clear step forward from biofuel development to production, said Ben Slager, CEO of Blue Biofuels.
The facility will initially convert sugarcane ethanol, followed by ethanol derived from Blue Biofuels’ Cellulose-to-Sugar (CTS) technology.
The creation of this partnership is a transition from technology development to production. It represents the first step in building an end-to-end integrated continuous process for converting cellulosic biomass into SAF and other sustainable biofuels.
This partnership represents a major milestone for Vertimass, as it will move our breakthrough CADO technology to commercial scale and feed conversion of cellulosic biomass to SAF. The need for SAF in the marketplace continues to grow as airlines and governments around the world commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Vertimass is delighted to be at the forefront of this growing market and looks forward to our low-cost CADO process contributing to reducing carbon emissions that feed climate change, said Dr Charles Wyman, President and CEO of Vertimass.
