Copenhagen, Denmark – 18 April, 2013 – BioGasol ApS, the renewable energy company, today announced the delivery of its first commercial biomass pretreatment system to US-based Sweetwater Energy, Inc. The cellulosic sugar producer will use the unit, a Carbofrac™ 10, in its demonstration facility to produce pretreated biomass for use in downstream processes.
BioGasol’s reactor design allows for the cost efficient and highly controlled conversion of lignocellulosic materials, such as agricultural waste and wood, into replacements for conventional fuel and other oil-based materials – specifically, highly fermentable sugars suitable for producing bioethanol, bioplastics and biochemicals. Its Carbofrac™ line of pretreatment systems has a small footprint, high throughput-to-weight ratio and superior control of the pretreatment process, maximising yield while limiting production of inhibitors.
Anders Weber, CEO of BioGasol, commented: “Shipping our first commercial pretreatment system is a huge milestone for us. The delivery of this Carbofrac™ unit within the agreed timelines shows not only that BioGasol is an innovative equipment developer but also effective at engineering and manufacturing its products. We are confident that our partnership with Sweetwater will continue to be a fruitful collaboration and that we will soon be shipping progressively larger reactors with our advanced pretreatment technology.”
Chairman and CEO of Sweetwater Energy, Arunas Chesonis, added: “BioGasol’s Carbofrac™ pretreatment reactors provide the ideal platform for producing cellulosic biofuels. Acquiring this unit, capable of processing 100kg of dry biomass per hour, will bolster our biofuel production capacity and allow us to test and optimise the biomass pretreatment processes in Sweetwater’s demonstration facility.”
In April 2012, Sweetwater Energy announced its intention to use BioGasol’s Carbofrac™ technology as part of its overall solution to maximise the amount of sugar that can be extracted from cellulosic feedstock. In January 2013, BioGasol completed the first sale of its Carbofrac™ 400 pretreatment system, capable of up to 4 tons pr. hour, to Sweetwater as part of a unit to be supplied to corn ethanol producer Ace Ethanol.
Contact details
BioGasol ApS Tel: +45 8820 4879
Anders Weber, CEO
College Hill Life Sciences Tel: +44 20 7457 2020
Melanie Toyne-Sewell / Dr Christelle Kerouedan biogasol@collegehill.com
/ Henry Stanley
About BioGasol:
BioGasol ApS is a Danish biotechnology company founded in January 2006 as a spin-out from the Technical University of Denmark, DTU. Among other biological renewable energy technologies, the Company develops, manufactures and licenses pretreatment solutions – the Carbofrac™ series - now at a commercial stage. The Carbofrac™ process is based upon extensive research and development work at DTU since 1994. Today BioGasol has just over 30 employees and has since 2006 demonstrated its equipment in a series of successfully up-scaled pilot and demo plants. Its sister company, C5 Labs ApS, has among others developed proprietary high-yield pentose/hexose co-fermentation technology. For more information, please visit www.biogasol.com.
About Sweetwater Energy:
Sweetwater Energy uses a unique, patented technology to produce a low-cost, highly fermentable cellulosic sugar solution from non-food biomass. This sugar solution is sold to biorefineries, which use it to produce biofuels, biochemicals, and bioplastics. Unlike petroleum-based technologies, Sweetwater Energy’s process uses carbon from renewable biomass that is grown or procured domestically, and significantly reduces greenhouse gases. Sweetwater designs, builds, owns and operates cellulosic sugar production facilities, and sells these sugars to exacting customer standards, thereby reducing risk for customers and partner companies. For more information, visit www.sweetwater.us.
