Gevo has been awarded US Patent Nº 12,043,587 B2 covering its ethanol to olefins (ETO) process process. This patent protects the process of using certain proprietary catalyst combinations for converting ethanol into olefins. This process is designed to give best-in-class cost and yields of olefins from ethanol, with improved energy efficiency, which is intended to help to reduce the cost of biofuels and biochemicals.

Olefins with three or four carbon atoms are key building blocks to produce fuels or chemicals. Existing technology makes ethylene, a 2-carbon olefin, from ethanol, and then additional steps are needed to produce the larger and more useful olefins, such as three or four carbon olefins (e.g., propylene and butenes).

This patent protects Gevo’s ETO process, which makes three and/or four carbon olefins in addition to ethylene from ethanol in a single step with a high degree of selectivity and control, which is critical for success.

The ETO process is expected to reduce energy and capital cost because of the fewer unit operations involved; and reduce complexity of the process design. The ETO process technology can be optimized to produce fuels and/or chemicals, the latter of which has been licensed to LG Chem under the previously disclosed joint development agreement. Together Gevo and LG Chem are working to scale up the process for chemicals.

We’ve been pursuing simplified alcohol to olefin technology since 2007, understanding that low cost, robust processes to make the right olefins is the critical step to make jet fuel, gasoline, and plastics. It’s our mission to make the transition practical from fossil-based to renewable fuels and chemicals.

Key to making the transition are low-cost, drop-in products. The ETO process technology covered by this patent is expected to be a step-change improvement in capital cost and energy efficiency to produce biofuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), or chemicals, such as propylene, from ethanol.

—Dr. Pat Gruber, CEO of Gevo

Underpinning ETO technology was Gevo’s invention of proprietary mixed metal oxide catalysts that produce polymer grade propylene or high purity isobutylene, along with hydrogen in high yields in a single processing step from conventional fuel grade specification ethanol.

The ETO technology has the potential to provide the global ethanol industry a much broader set of end-product market and margin opportunities, beyond the use of ethanol as a gasoline blendstock.