Total and Gevo Advance Renewable Isoamylene Work
Total’s specialty chemical additives subsidiary Total Cray Valley and US renewables company Gevo have completed the first phase of their Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to upgrade fusel oils into renewable isoamylene.
“We were very satisfied with the results of pilot tests during Phase 1. Gevo’s technology was found to be robust and flexible, and the initial economic assessment shows potential for a profitable business,” said Valérie Goff, senior vice president at Total.
Signed in 2020, the JDA is centered on Gevo’s chemical-based catalytic technology, which selectively converts low-value fusel oils, a mixture of alcohols that are byproducts from fermentation processes such as ethanol or isobutanol production, into higher-value renewable chemicals, for example isoprene, ketones, aldehydes or olefins – in this case isoamylene.
Cray Valley uses isoamylene as a raw material in manufacturing resins. Isoamylene also has a diverse set of other uses, including in pesticides, flavors and fragrances, pharmaceuticals, healthcare products, adhesives, antioxidants and UV stabilizers.
The companies are now seeking to advance to phase two of the JDA, which will allow for Gevo’s technology to be scaled up to commercial production.
Paul Bloom, Gevo’s chief technology and innovation officer, said that every pound of biobased isoamylene made and used in durable products like resins is the equivalent of sequestering 2.5 pounds of biogenic CO2 from the atmosphere.
Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist
