Grainnet

Washington, D.C. — The Solena Group, a leading global bio-energy company, based in Washington D.C. announced Mar. 7 that it is developing the first large scale, renewable jet fuel production facility based on 100% Bio-SynGas that is generated from biomass and municipal waste.

Solena (202-682-2405) will create the facility in partnership with Rentech, Inc., a coal-to-liquid production company that will use Solena’s Bio-SynGas as a replacement for synthesis gas generated from coal or natural gas.

Utilizing Solena’s patented gasification technology, the facility will convert biomass and organic products derived from municipal waste into clean renewable synthesis gas (Bio-SynGas), that will then be converted into renewable jet fuel through the Rentech Fischer Tropsch (FT) technology, resulting in net-zero carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) for air travel.

The facility, which is scheduled to be constructed in Gilroy, CA in 2009, will be the first commercial scale aviation grade bio-fuel (Bio-SJ8) production plant in the world.

The revolutionary Solena process of converting biomass into jet fuel is accomplished by feeding biomass, including agricultural, forestry and municipal waste, into a high temperature (5000 degrees Celsius) gasification reactor powered by plasma heating system and converts it into a stable Bio-SynGas.

The Bio-SynGas is then cooled and cleaned in a process that removes any sulfur compounds, chlorides, other volatile metals and acid gas that may be present in order to eliminate emissions.

The Bio-SynGas is then funneled into Rentech FT gas to liquid equipment that converts it into clean diesel liquid fuel, which is then upgraded to the final jet fuel.

The FT reaction, a process developed in Germany in 1923, converts the carbon monoxide and hydrogen into a wide range of hydrocarbons including diesel, methane and heavy waxes.

The Rentech FT process utilizes an iron-based catalyst in a slurry reactor to affect the conversion.

Some of the remaining hydrogen rich tail-gas will be fed directly into gas turbines to produce base load renewable electricity to run the entire facility.

The plant will employ a Rentech Standard FT module system with the capacity to produce 1,800 barrels of bio-fuel, with 70% Jet A-1 fuel (also known as SJ-8 for military uses) a day and 30% Naptha, roughly equating to 17 million gallons a year of second generation bio-fuels.

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified gasification plants such as Solena’s system for production of synthesis gas as a Fuel Manufacturing Facility with a clean emissions profile and distinct from waste incinerators and thermal waste disposal facilities.

In addition, since the biomass feedstock will be coming from municipal solid waste, the facility is also considered a Zero Landfill Solution.

Norcal Waste Systems, one of California’s largest municipal waste and biomass collectors, will provide biomass feedstock from Northern and Central California for the plant.

In order to convert the necessary amount of biomass, the facility will use three of Solena’s standard gasifiers, each of which have a capacity of 20 tons of biomass per hour.

Solena Group President and CEO, Dr. Robert T. Do noted the new facility will provide renewable fuel solutions for both the air travel industry and the military and will eliminate the heavy carbon footprint of air travel by reducing green house gases and CO2 emissions, which are responsible for over 15% of global warming gases worldwide.

“As fuel prices continue to increase, our new facility will play an integral role in easing the volatility of today’s oil market for the airline industry and the military," said Dr. Do.

"In addition, our facility will prove of special interest to European airlines who will now have to meet new unprecedented European mandates to reduce CO2 emissions,” said Dr. Do.

“Because the fuel is produced through the conversion of biomass and has net-zero CO2 emissions, it not only drastically reduces green house gas and CO2 emissions of the airline industry, it avoids the usage of food crops such as corn, wheat and soybeans for the production of fuel, as in the case of ethanol and biodiesel.”

The new Solena facility will be developed, designed, built, owned and operated by a consortium of corporations including Solena Group and Rentech, with financing to be arranged by Deutsche Bank AG London at an estimated cost of $250 million.

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