Elevance Renewable Sciences: Biofuels Digest’s 5-Minute Guide

November 9, 2012 |

Address:
2501 Davey Road, Woodridge IL 60517

Year Founded:

2007

Company description:
Headquartered in Woodridge, Illinois, Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. creates valued specialty chemicals from natural oils. Using a technology called olefin metathesis, the company creates high performance ingredients for use in personal care products, detergents, fuels, lubricants and other specialty chemicals markets.

Major Investors
Investors in Elevance include TPG Growth, TPG Biotechnology, Naxos Capital Partners and Total Energy Ventures International, Lacustrine Limited via Genting Genomics Limited, wholly owned by Genting Berhad Cargill, Inc. and Materia, Inc.

3 Top Milestones for 2009‐11

2009
1. Elevance Renewable Sciences Announces $1 Million Partnership With Trent University Biomaterials Research Laboratories
2. Elevance Renewable Sciences Receives Biorefinery Grant From the U.S. Department of Energy
3. Elevance Receives SaskCanola Research Grant to Enhance Use of Canola Oil in Developing Renewable-Based Chemicals

2010
1. Elevance Renewable Sciences Announces Joint Venture With Wilmar International To Build World Scale Biochemical Refinery
2. Elevance Enters Joint Development Agreement with Stepan to Commercialize Novel Surfactants & Antimicrobials
3. Elevance Renewable Sciences Raises $100 Million in Series C Financing

2011
1. Elevance Renewable Sciences Broadens Technology Portfolio to Include Additional Metathesis Catalysts, Secures Licensing Agreement with XiMo
2. Elevance Renewable Sciences announces acquisition of Delta BioFuels facility in Natchez, MS
3. Elevance Renewable Sciences Raises $104 Million in Series E Financing

3 Major Milestone Goals for 2013‐15

1. Completion of construction and commencing commercial sales from World Scale Biochemical Refinery
2. Commercialization of additional novel products from our various collaborations: Stepan, Clariant, others
3. Completion of engineering and commencing construction on our facility in Natchez, MS to convert it into our 2nd biorefinery

Business Model:
Producer and collaborative partner.

Elevance was created on the premise that a high performance, renewable, capital light, partnership-based business model will provide a unique market position based on a significant and sustainable advantage in the specialty chemicals market. The company has achieved rapid growth as a result and continues to focus on establishing unique
partnerships and collaborations. Elevance has established feedstock, technology and manufacturing as well as market partnerships, working with innovative industry leaders to accelerate the production and commercialization high performance renewable chemicals:

Competitive Edge(s):
By simultaneously producing a suite of high value chemicals and fuels from any of several different feedstocks, Elevance’s biorefinery has a distinct economic advantage over other processes, as demonstrated by its ability to be profitable without subsidies. Elevance has a strong intellectual property position, demonstrated by the Nobel Prize awarded to Dr. Robert Grubbs in 2005 for his work developing the core technology, metathesis, which Elevance uses. In addition to its large patent portfolio, Elevance has extensive proprietary knowledge, deep experience from our leadership team and employees and large, strong investors. Elevance’s business model of collaboration leverages the significant strengths of our partners, like Dow Corning and Wilmar International. Finally, the speed at which we have and are commercializing our business creates a significant advantage.

Research, or Manufacturing Partnerships or Alliances.

Elevance partnerships and alliances include:
• Arkema, France
• Clariant International Ltd, Germany
• Dow Corning Corporation, United States
• Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SaskCanola), Canada
• Stepan Chemical, United States
• Tetramer Technologies, LLC, United States
• Trent University, United States
• United Soybean Board (USB), United States
• United States Department of Energy, United States
• Wilmar International, Singapore
• XIMO AG, Switzerland

Stage
The Elevance process is already commercial. The company has produced over 1.5 million pounds of product in tolling campaigns while construction has been underway on the worldscale Wilmar Elevance Biorefinery

Company website

Project information:

Surabaya, Indonesia

Materials or products produced
The biorefinery will produce green olefins, including a unique distribution of alpha and internal olefins for chemicals and advanced fuels; novel multifunctional esters and acids, including 9-decenoic acid, as well as a premium mixture of oleochemicals and advanced biofuels

Capacity
This commercial-scale manufacturing facility will begin with a capacity of 180kMT (approximately 400 million pounds) with the ability to expand up to 360kMT (approximately 800 million pounds) of products

Year, month in service
Accepting customer orders now with supply commitments beginning mid 2012 once start-up activities are completed.

Status:
Under construction

Feedstock:
Flexible it will be capable of operating using multiple renewable oil feedstocks, such as palm, mustard, soybean, jatropha or waste oils, initially palm oil

Processing technology
The joint venture will use Elevance’s proprietary biorefinery technology. Elevance’s proprietary patent-protected technologies transform renewable plant-based oils into specialty, high performance green chemical products without the environmental risks of traditional petrochemical solutions. Elevance’s innovative technology is based on the work of Nobel Laureate Dr. Robert H. Grubbs, who pioneered the olefin metathesis catalyst development at The California Institute of Technology

Natchez, Mississippi

Materials or products produced
The biorefinery will produce green olefins, including a unique distribution of alpha and internal olefins for chemicals and advanced fuels; novel multifunctional esters and acids, including 9-decenoic acid, as well as a premium mixture of oleochemicals and advanced biofuels

Capacity
This commercial-scale manufacturing facility will begin with a capacity of approximately 270kMT (approximately 600 million pounds) of products. The company intends to convert the existing bio-diesel facility to a biorefinery and derivatives operation in a multi-phase project that will involve an investment of more than $225 million and will create 165 full-time jobs over the next five years, in addition to 300 construction jobs

Year, month in service
2014

Status: 
Engineering underway

Feedstock:
Flexible it will be capable of operating using multiple renewable oil feedstocks, such as palm, mustard, soybean, jatropha or waste oils, initially soy or canola oil

Processing technology
The biorefinery will use Elevance’s proprietary technology. Elevance’s proprietary patent-protected technologies transform renewable plant-based oils into specialty, high performance green chemical products without the environmental risks of traditional petrochemical solutions. Elevance’s innovative technology is based on the work of Nobel Laureate Dr. Robert H. Grubbs, who pioneered the olefin metathesis catalyst development at The California Institute of Technology

Product information

Product Description:
Elevance’s extensive portfolio of high performance products are targeted at meeting customer needs in three large market platforms:
• Consumer Ingredients and Intermediates: NatureWax® and novel performance waxes, antimicrobials, ingredients for personal care products and intermediates for detergents, cleaners and other consumer products
• Engineered Polymers and Coatings: unique building blocks for creating high performance plastics and specialty coatings
• Lubricants, Fuels and Additives: high performance lubricant base oils, lubricant and fuel additives, and advanced biofuels

Unique Features
Elevance produces products that outperform traditional petrochemicals. For example, our products help lotions protect and moisturize the skin without feeling greasy; candles have lasting fragrance; or detergents clean better in cold water saving energy while using less detergent.

Feedstocks and bio-based content
Elevance products are produced using multiple renewable oil feedstocks, such as palm, mustard, soybean, jatropha or waste oils, initially palm, soy or canola oil.

 

Category: 5-Minute Guide

Thank you for visting the Digest.