The Catalyst Review January 2020 - 12

SPECIAL FEATURE
Red Rock Biofuels is a technology integrator
and project developer, not an R&D company
or a technology inventor. RRB licenses proven
technologies from various licensors and integrates
them in its projects (Figure 6). At the Lakeview
biorefinery, gasifiers from TCG Global, LLC will
generate syngas, and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
(FTS) reactors from Velocys will catalytically
convert the syngas into liquid hydrocarbons,
which will be upgraded to jet fuel, diesel, and
naphtha using hydroprocessing technology
from Haldor Topsoe. RRB has also licensed FTS
technology from Emerging Fuels Technology, Inc.
(EFT) (Tulsa, Oklahoma, http://emergingfuels.com/).

Figure 6. Red Rock Biofuels' Block Flow Diagram.

RRB has jet fuel supply contracts with Southwest
Airlines and FedEx. RRB's low-risk business model
involves fast-track technology licensing, project
Source: Dinh and Manternach 2019.
development, construction and operation of
commercial biorefineries, and feedstock supply and
product sale agreements. If the Lakeview biorefinery proves technically and economically successful, additional similar projects are
likely.
Velocys
Velocys plc (Oxford, UK) is the result of the combination of two companies. Velocys was spun out of Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory (PNNL) in 2001, to commercialize microchannel reactor technology. Oxford Catalysts Group (OCG) was spun off from
Oxford University in October 2004, acquired Velocys in 2008, and changed its name to Velocys plc in September 2013. Velocys is
now a small public company, with its stock listed on both the London Stock Exchange (VLS.L) and the U.S. OTC market (OXFCF). The
company has offices and projects in both the UK and the USA.
Velocys' mission is: "To help reduce the environmental footprint of
aviation and heavy goods transport through a proven and reliable supply
of sustainable fuels." It specializes in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS)
and gas-to-liquids (GTL) plants using microchannel reactors, which
enable process intensification-more efficient heat and mass transfer in
smaller equipment than conventional reactors. Velocys has licensed its
microchannel FTS technology to Red Rock Biofuels and is developing two
commercial projects to produce renewable fuels: Altalto in Immingham
(UK) and Bayou Fuels in Natchez, Mississippi (USA).
Altalto Immingham Limited, a subsidiary of Velocys, together with
British Airways and Shell, is developing a project to convert half a million
tonnes/year of nonrecyclable waste into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
and automotive fuel. The waste feedstock is thus diverted from landfill
or incineration. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the SAF will be
reduced by 70% compared with conventional jet fuel. The SAF will also
improve air quality, with up to 90% reduction in particulate matter (soot)
and almost 100% reduction in sulfur oxides from aircraft engine exhaust.
Construction at the Immingham site (Figure 7) is planned for 2021, with
commercial production to begin in 2024. British Airways will purchase SAF
produced at the plant for use in its aircraft. Shell will purchase both SAF
and automotive fuel, and blend and sell them to its customers.
The Mississippi Bayou Fuels project (Figure 8) is designed to produce 25
million gallons/year of fuel from RFS2-compliant woody biomass. Oxy Low
Carbon Ventures (a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation) and
12

Figure 7. Velocys Immingham, UK Project Site.

Source: Stratmann 2019.
Figure 8. Velocys Mississippi Bayou Fuels Project Site.

Source: Stratmann 2019.

The Catalyst Review

January 2020

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The Catalyst Review January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Catalyst Review January 2020