Anellotech: Biofuels Digest’s 2015 5-Minute Guide

Founded in 2008, Anellotech has developed a clean technology platform for inexpensively producing bio-based chemicals from renewable non-food biomass. These drop-in, green versions of widely used petrochemicals; benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX), are used to make plastics for consumer goods such as beverage bottles and packaging, clothing, carpeting, automotive parts, home and construction materials, electronic products, and a wide array of industrial products.

From its Pearl River, New York, facility, once research is completed Anellotech will license its Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis (CFP) process to industrial users around the world. Commercial scale applications are expected by 2019.

Awards and Rankings

40 Hottest Smaller Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy for 2014-15: #23, 2014/15

Business Model

Technology licensor.

The Situation

Last May, Anellotech announced start-up of its pyrolysis pilot plant, and that it is making available kilogram-scale quantities of green BTX to strategic partners for downstream development. The Anellotech technology is able to work from a variety of renewable feedstocks including palm wastes, bagasse, corn stover, and, for the most recent production, wood feedstocks.

Using its proprietary catalyst, Anellotech’s single step catalytic fast pyrolysis process enables biomass to be converted in a fluidized-bed reactor into commercially viable aromatics, principally benzene, toluene and xylenes.

The company’s Pearl River pilot plant commenced successful initial operations in December 2013, an important milestone that the company committed to in March 2013.

At that time, Anellotech announced that it planed to make available large quantities (i.e. 100 kg) of green benzene and toluene to strategic partners for downstream product development purposes before the end of 2013.

Past Milestones:

In February 2015, Johnson Matthey Process Technologies announced an alliance to codevelop advanced catalyst systems for Anellotech’s Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis. The two partners will collaborate in three major areas: On the technical development of an optimal catalyst for Anellotech’s CFP Process; for the supply of high-quality catalysts manufactured for use in the testing and development of the CFP Process, and to manage subsequent commercial implementation.

Anellotech’s newly-developed green aromatics products are “drop-in” replacements for petroleum-derived aromatics and have use in a variety of valuable derivative applications. These uses include benzene for production of styrene butyl rubber (tires), nylon, polycarbonate, and phenolics; toluene to make polyurethane; and para-xylene for production of PET bottles and fibers. Johnson Matthey is a global speciality chemicals company — in catalysis, it is a supplier of both precious and base metal catalysts and offers products for a diverse range of industries: from fuel cells and environmental catalysts to petrochemicals, edible oils and specialist oil and gas purification.

In January 2015, Anellotech, IFP Energies nouvelles and its subsidiary Axens have announced a strategic alliance to develop and commercialize a new technology for the low cost production of bio-based benzene, toluene and paraxylene using Anellotech’s process of Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis (CFP) of non-food biomass. The technology will address large-scale units and produce purified aromatics streams suitable for modern derivative production processes at a very competitive price with respect to their petroleum-based counterparts.

In December 2014, Anellotech was awarded $750,000 in grants via through Round IV of New York State’s Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative, to support the lease of laboratory and office space. Specialized reactors and analytical equipment will be installed to study the catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass to produce basic petroleum products.

Future Milestones:

Commercial licensing with global production expected by 2019.

Website.