US-headed Solena Fuels Corporation, a developer of high-temperature plasma gasification technology to produce sustainable fuels from low carbon-bearing organic waste has filed for bankruptcy. In February 2010, the company had announced it was partnering with UK national air carrier British Airways to build Europe's first sustainable aviation fuel plant in London using municipal solid waste.
In November 2012, British Airways announced a longterm binding offtake and investment commitment to the GreenSky London project. Originally planned to be built at the Thames Enterprise Park, part of the site of the former Coryton oil refinery in Thurrock, Essex, the plant was to convert up to 600 000 tonnes per annum of municipal waste into Bio-SPK, Green FT Diesel, and Green FT Naphtha. and supply London City Airport (LCY).
The plant was to use Solena’s Integrated Biomass-Gas to Liquid (IBGTL) technology solution – a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) platform coupled with Solena’s proprietary high-temperature plasma gasification technology to produce sustainable fuels from low carbon-bearing organic waste. A feature of the IBGTL process is the use of plasma torches enabling heterogeneous feedstock. The company had reputedly several projects in development including in India.
The future of the GreenSky London project remains unsure as a result of Solena’s bankruptcy filed on October 16.
