October 20, 2020 – GasTechno Energy & Fuels (USA) LLC (GEF), based in Michigan, is targeting aggressive growth in the renewable fuel sector through licensing of its patented, turnkey design-build and transfer Mini-GTL® package. These integrated packages convert renewable gas from landfills, anerobic digesters and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) into low carbon fuels and chemicals including methanol, ethanol, hydrogen, Dimethyl ether (DME), Polyoxymethylene (POM), biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Licensed integrated packages begin as low as US$5.5 million for 300 scfm anerobic digester gas and scale upwards of US$40 million for 6000 scfm landfill gas sites. Payback is typically less than 2 years.
Over the past 10 years, GasTechno® Mini-GTL® plants have been extensively field-tested from pilot-through commercial-scale using a range of gas feedstocks. In 2010 and 2011, successful field pilot tests were completed using 99% methane gas (1000 BTU) and untreated associated flare gas (1300 BTU with 18% nitrogen) at an oil & gas production facility. In 2012 and 2013, a demonstration scale plant was tested using pipeline natural gas (1000 BTU) and 1500 BTU associated “wet” flare gas. In 2016 and 2017, a commercial-scale Mini-GTL® 300 plant was installed to convert 200 mscfd (~140 scfm) of natural gas into methanol and ethanol. This commercial-scale plant was then deployed in the Bakken shale in North Dakota in 2018 to prove the conversion of associated flare gas into methanol using compressed air (21% oxygen) rather than liquid oxygen (99% oxygen) resulting in significant O&M cost savings.
In mid-2020, GEF refocused on the fast-growing, highly innovative renewable and low carbon fuels & chemicals sector. With state and local governments, utilities and major corporations making pledges of “net-zero” carbon emissions by 2050, major investment is being directed toward renewable fuels and hydrogen-related technologies. Significant policy support including the U.S. Federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) have rapidly enhanced the economics and opportunities in this sector. GasTechno® Mini-GTL® plants are the world’s only known gas-to-liquids conversion technology that can be profitably deployed on-site at small scale to convert renewable gas from landfills, digesters and WWTPs into highly valuable low carbon fuels and chemicals.
“With respect to their interest in gas-to-liquids conversion technologies, working with the renewable fuels sector has been completely refreshing compared to the oil & gas sector. Given the limited regulations in place to stop emissions from associated gas flaring, it has been difficult at best to move the oil & gas sector to adopt our profitable emission reduction solution”, said Walter Breidenstein, CEO. “On the flipside, the combination of renewable fuel policy incentives and corporate sustainability initiatives is driving significant interest in the GasTechno® Mini-GTL® solution to produce renewable fuels and chemicals from renewable gas sources. Our view is that additional States and possibly the entire U.S. will adopt low carbon fuel policies like the California LCFS. GEF expects to be the “go-to” solution for the conversion of renewable gas into low carbon fuels and chemicals.”
In addition to the attractive price of LCFS and RIN credits, the key value driver for low carbon fuels is the “carbon intensity” or ‘CI score’ of the renewable fuel as it affects the volume of credits produced. With its revolutionary single-step conversion process, GasTechno® Mini-GTL® plants produce renewable fuels & chemicals with significantly lower carbon intensity than those produced using competing, traditional methanol or gas-to-liquids processes. A third-party engineering consultant estimated the CI score of the GasTechno® process at only 19 gCO2e per MJ compared to traditional competing technologies at 90+ gCO2e per MJ.
To deploy our Mini-GTL® plants into the renewable fuel’s markets, GEF will utilize a low cost “Hub and Spoke” model by converting stranded renewable gas into a “raw blend” liquid from multiple landfills, dairy farms and WWTPs. The liquid blend will be easily transported to a central distillation facility for processing into component low carbon fuels. A similar “Hub and Spoke” model using CNG trucks to transport raw biogas to a larger-scale, centralized Mini-GTL® production facility will be deployed to achieve excellent economies of scale and profitability.
Currently, GEF is preparing itself as a SPAC-ready investment with an eye to dominate the rapid growth coming to the renewable fuels and chemicals sectors. GEF estimates deployment of up to 40 systems over the next 3 years reaching $2 billion in revenues. The goal is to reach $10 billion in revenues within 5 years as the US economy moves toward supporting low carbon fuels. GEF plans to license and sell turn-key Mini-GTL® systems to large renewable energy developers, corporations and governments seeking to produce the lowest carbon emission renewable fuels and chemicals.
Gas Technologies LLC (“GasTechno”) – GasTechno Energy & Fuels (USA) LLC and GasTechno Energy & Fuels Holding (UK) Limited are subsidiaries of their parent Gas Technologies LLC. GasTechno has exclusively licensed to these subsidiaries its advanced, revolutionary technologies for converting previously uneconomical sources of stranded renewable gas, natural gas and associated gas into high-value liquid fuels and chemicals. The company is headquartered in Michigan with subsidiary offices in London, Singapore, Bangalore, Moscow and Kuala Lumpur. For more information, visit gastechno.com. Mini-GTL, Micro-GTL, Methanol-In-A-Box, Mini-GTL In A Box, GTL-In-A-Box and GasTechno are registered trademarks of Gas Technologies LLC.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Walter Breidenstein, Gas Technologies LLC, Tel: +1-231-535-2914, gastechno.com
