Renewable chemicals and fuels specialist Virent has formed a collaboration with Texas-based refinery company Tesoro Corp. to accelerate the development and commercialization of Virent’s BioForming renewable fuel technology, which produces low-carbon, bio-based fuels and chemicals.
Announcing the agreement on Monday, Virent said that the deal provides funding to advance its technology and commercialization while establishing a framework for Tesoro to provide broader support and involvement in Virent’s deployment efforts in the longer term.
“This agreement with Virent furthers our plans to foster the development of renewable feedstocks that we can co-process at our refineries,” said CJ Warner, executive vice president of Strategy and Business Development at Tesoro. “Virent’s innovative technology produces high quality products including chemicals and fuels that are fully compatible with our existing infrastructure and meet our customers’ demand for lower carbon fuels.”
“Tesoro’s plan embraces innovative approaches to provide drop-in, low carbon fuels for many of the largest fuel markets in the U.S., while utilizing the existing refining and logistics infrastructure,” added Lee Edwards, Virent CEO.
Tesoro is also working collaboratively with other renewable energy companies to advance biomass-to-fuels technology.
Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc. plans to supply biocrude produced from municipal solid waste to Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company LLC (TRMC) to process as a feedstock at its refinery in Martinez, California. Meanwhile, Ensyn Corp. has applied for a pathway with the California Air Resources Board to co-process its biocrude, produced from tree residue, in TRMC’s California refineries.
