Hyrax and WARF sign licensing agreement

In Wisconsin, Hyrax Energy and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation have signed a licensing agreement for a novel renewable chemical and biofuel production method. Developed in the laboratory of Ron Raines, a University of Wisconsin–Madison biochemistry professor and a Hyrax founder, the technology provides a new way to transform cellulosic biomass into renewable fuels and high-value chemicals.

The chemical process, developed with support from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center on the UW–Madison campus, uses ionic liquids to break down cellulosic or non-food plant biomass without using enzymes or costly pretreatment steps. The process creates fermentable sugars, which can be converted into a variety of important chemicals, including fuels and plastics.

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