Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (Milan, Italy; www.mairetecnimont.com) has announced that its group company focused on the energy transition, NextChem, will cooperate with Saola Energy LLC (Wichita, Kan.; www.saolaenergy.com) to license a technology for the production of renewable diesel, suitable for both small bolt-on facilities and large plants.
NextChem announces its alliance with Saola Energy to license in the international market a technology for the production of renewable diesel (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil; HVO) from vegetable oils and residual fats.
NextChem and Saola Energy will combine their know-how and expertise to deliver a comprehensive solution to the marketplace. NextChem will be the licensor of the combined technology and will provide clients with Engineering, Procurement and Construction services and training to ensure successful deployment of the technology. Saola Energy’s patented technology consists of a hydrotreatment step followed by isomerization to produce high-quality renewable diesel fuel from oils and residual fats. The technology can process at industrial scale a wide range of feedstocks and is ideal to capture the increased value in low-carbon fuels across multiple jurisdictions.
Furthermore, the process has a modularized approach and is conceived for capacities as low as 10 million gallons per year (approximately 30,000 ton/year), making it ideal for both smaller bolt-on facilities with access to a limited supply of captive feedstock and larger standalone plants that can aggregate larger amounts of raw materials.
“Renewable Diesel is a valuable solution for sustainable mobility and shows a notable market trend (2) as the fastest growing segment in the biofuels industry. This agreement represents for NextChem an opportunity to improve our technology portfolio in a fast-growing sector and it is also an entry point to the American agri-tech market” said Pierroberto Folgiero, Maire Tecnimont’s and NextChem’s CEO. “NextChem is looking at technological solutions that, while giving best contribution to decarbonization, are a profitable opportunity for entrepreneurs to strengthen their business or create new ones”.
“This collaboration represents a great opportunity to license our technologies worldwide” said Adam Belyamani, Saola Energy’s COO. “With this agreement in place, we are able to supply customers with a complete solution for an integrated renewable diesel facility. This will provide a very attractive solution in the marketplace for parties that are interested in both small or larger scale biorefineries.”