Emvolon, an MIT spun-off technology company that converts GHG emissions into carbon-negative fuels and chemicals, has announced several commercial and technical milestones.
Following its recent field pilot announcement with Montauk Renewables to demonstrate the benefits of converting biogas into green methanol, Emvolon has secured multiple new partnerships with biogas suppliers, green methanol product offtakers, and multinational equipment and technology companies. Additionally, Emvolon announced that MIT has completed its licensing contract with the company. This protects Emvolon’s proprietary technology, originally developed by the company’s founders as MIT researchers, and supports Emvolon’s continued research on chemical decarbonisation.
Heavy-duty transportation including maritime requires high-energy-density, easily transportable, liquid fuels. However, according to Emvolon, producing these fuels in a low-emissions manner remains challenging and expensive. At the same time, industries such as agriculture, municipal waste management and energy cause a significant amount of methane gas to be emitted into the atmosphere, contributing to 12% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the US. Emvolon collects and converts wasted methane gases onsite into ready-to-use, easy-to-transport, liquid green chemicals and fuels. By repurposing automobile engines as cost-effective modular chemical plants, Emvolon has designed a technology platform that converts biogas into liquid green methanol, which can then be transported in standard containers – offering a way to monetise otherwise wasted resources at a low cost and without expensive pipeline infrastructure.
Dr Emmanuel Kasseris, co-founder and CEO, Emvolon said: “According to the EIA and EPA, more than 1,000bn cubic feet of methane gas per year is emitted into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas, because historically, there’s been no way to economically utilise that waste stream. Emvolon can directly address the harmful emissions and wasted resources of methane coming from landfills, water treatment plants, farms and industrial operations. Our modular units reduce the cost of converting waste into sustainable resources, offering the ability to generate up to US$ 27bn in green fuel sales while eliminating 1.2 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions.”
Emvolon has established multiple new partnerships that are expected to eliminate GHG emissions, produce more than 175,000t of green methanol annually, and generate more than US $175m in annual revenue. The company’s current partnerships include:
Biogas Suppliers & Project Developers – These partnerships will utilise up to 20m cubic feet per day of methane from landfills and agricultural operations:
- Montauk Renewables (NASDAQ:MNTK), for a field pilot to demonstrate the commercial benefits of converting biogas into green methanol. The goal is to scale up production using multiple Emvolon systems on additional Montauk-operated sites.
- Indian Biogas Association, to collaborate on multiple projects utilizing Emvolon’s wasted gas-to-green methanol production technology.
Green Methanol Product Offtakers:
- Oberon Fuels, to buy green methanol produced by Emvolon over five years.
- SAFE Bulkers which will use the green methanol for two of its vessels that are designed to run on this fuel.
Equipment & Technology Partners:
- Clariant, to collaborate on green methanol catalyst development and testing.
- Waukesha/INNIO, to collaborate on engine development.
