Spero Renewables signs $1.6 million deal with DOE to scale up SPERLU™ technology

In California, Spero Renewables, announced a $1.6 million cooperative agreement with the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable energy division of the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and scale-up production of the company’s SPERLU™ technology.

Spero’s proprietary SPERLU™ technology produces polymers from plant-based sources, like wood pulp. The resulting polymers are renewable, much more environmentally friendly than current polymers, free of off-gassing emissions, and formaldehyde-free vs. current polymers that come from petrochemicals and are manufactured with formaldehyde. Polymers are used in huge quantities for many industrial applications, including to make the particleboard that is used to manufacture furniture and laminate flooring. Through these greener polymers, the SPERLU™ technology is a game changer, enabling economically viable biofuels made from the cellulose byproduct of SPERLU™.

The grant is part of a recently announced $80 million DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office initiative supporting 36 projects in bioenergy research and development. In addition to bio-based products, projects include renewable hydrocarbon fuels and power from non-food Biomass and waste feedstocks.