Maverick Biofuels becomes Maverick Synfuels, expands focus to methane
In North Carolina, Maverick Biofuels, a leader in alternative fuels and chemicals production technology, has changed its name to Maverick Synfuels to reflect the company’s growth strategy for producing synthetic fuels and chemicals from low-value feedstocks and waste streams.
More about Maverick
Maverick builds modular production platforms based on unique combinations of thermochemical and methanol synthesis technology. Maverick’s modular plants can be deployed in oil fields, dairy farms and landfills to convert methane-rich waste gas, including associated gas, biogas and flare gas, into high-value transportation fuels and specialty chemicals.
Maverick currently operates demonstration plants in Florida and Colorado, and a research and development laboratory based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Maverick’s development facilities and engineering teams are designed to support commercial project deployment. Maverick has completed initial engineering studies at the pilot scale and plans to construct its first small-scale commercial plant shortly after completing the methanol pilot trial at the Denver, CO facility.
Maverick is pursuing a business model that includes licensing its technology to strategic partners, along with building and operating production refineries with strategic partners.
More about methane
Many sources of methane-rich gas streams are too small to justify construction of large commercial plants to produce final products, or are located in remote areas where distribution is not economically viable. Maverick’s modular production platform offers the first small-scale solution that can be deployed at thousands of methane generating sources across the U.S.
The flexibility of the technology flexibility allows methane to be converted into methanol and then into a variety of on-site usable products, or the methanol can be transported to nearby larger facilities and converted to higher value products such as biodiesel.
Another aspect of Maverick’s Olefinity process involves producing methanol and then converting methanol to olefins, and olefins to higher value products. Olefins are the building blocks of a number of useful products, including mixed-alcohol fuels, diesel fuel, jet fuels, and polymers.
The use of methanol as a transportable intermediate allows Maverick to work with feedstock suppliers in relatively remote locations. Maverick can produce methanol using a number of relatively small “spoke” production facilities located at or near the feedstock supply.
The methanol is transported to a larger central “hub” facility where it is converted into final products. Co-locating production with the feedstock supply drives down the cost of the feedstock, while converting methanol at a central hub provides economy of scale.
Category: Fuels
