Rentech vs Codexis: Who's the Best?

Background: This is a second round, West Regional match-up between #2 seed Codexis and #7 seed Rentech, in the 2011 Transformative Technologies tourney, from Biofuels Digest.

Voting: Open to all Biofuels Digest subscribers. Voting links are in the Biofuels Digest daily newsletter. To subscribe (free), visit here.

The winner gets: Most votes advances to the Sweet Sixteen (round of 16), and a shot at the Biofuels Elite Eight.

The loser: Goes home.

Laurels: Codexis is the 9th ranked company in the 2010-11 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy poll. Rentech is currently #25.

The match-up: It’s Fermentation vs Fischer-Tropsch. Codexis took 66 percent of the votes in its first round battle with Propel Fuels. Rentech prevailed over BlueFire Renewables 57-43.

Codexis is producing enzymes for Shell for low-cost cellulosic biofuels, and producing low-cost renewable chemicals for itself. Codexis is increasingly aimed at sugarcane bagasse as a breakout feedstock available at scale, through the Shell-Cosan “Raizen” joint venture.

Rentech is commercializing a Fischer-Tropsch fuels and chemicals system that it will demonstrate in the next year and commercialize in Canada among other locations.

Deep Dive Data on Codexis and Rentech

Codexis’ complete Hot 50 / Transformative Technologies profile is here.

Rentech’s complete Hot 50 / Transformative Technologies profile is here.