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Gevo and LG Chem extend joint development agreement for bio-propylene to accelerate commercialization using Gevo ethanol-to-olefins technology

Gevo and LG Chem are extending their joint development agreement. The agreement extension enables LG Chem to assess existing assets for deploying Gevo’s Ethanol-to-Olefins (ETO) technology while accelerating commercialization activities, considering project scale and end-product markets.

Gevo’s patented ETO technology can target carbon-neutral or carbon-negative drop-in replacements for traditional petroleum-based building blocks. These are core olefins, that can be used for renewable fuels and chemicals, including sustainable aviation fuel and bio-propylene. ETO technology is just one of multiple patented technologies that Gevo is bringing to bear on the challenges of developing cost-effective bio-based renewable fuels and chemicals.

Because it can replace fossil-based products as a renewable raw material for various plastic products, bio-propylene is expected to play a pivotal role in the rapid growth of the bioplastic market and circular economy. Once commercialization is achieved, bio-propylene could be used as a drop-in replacement for use in a range of products from auto parts to flooring to diapers to replace petroleum products with bio-based materials with a low or negative carbon footprint.

In September, Gevo was awarded US Patent No. 12,043,587 B2 covering the ETO 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 was licensed to LG Chem.

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