Sundrop Fuel is a globally-focused, bio-based fuel and chemicals company that is building the world’s largest renewable gasoline plant. In a world searching new renewable pathways and to ensure fuel supply security, attractive economics and environmental stewardship, the Sundrop Fuels solution is an important and timely option at a commercially viable scale. In addition to gasoline, the technology
is also well suited for the production of diesel, aviation fuels and bio-based chemicals, from biomass alone or with natural gas or other carbon feedstocks. Map
Formed in 2008, Sundrop Fuels is backed by its strategic partner, Chesapeake Energy Corp., and by two of the world’s premier venture groups, Oak Investment Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Branding People are the most important asset in any company and Sundrop Fuels has assembled a committed team of industry leaders with proven and experienced senior executives and engineers from Exxon, Sasol, Eastman Chemicals, ConocoPhillips, Sonoco, and many other leading global energy and technology companies. Based in Colorado, USA, Sundrop Fuels is a privately held, advanced biofuels company using a proprietary high-temperature bioreforming system to transform cellulosic biomass into clean, affordable, renewable gasoline, jet and diesel fuels. The company’s innovative technology processes almost any type of plant material for conversion into ultra-clean, competitively priced drop-in fuel for use in today’s automobiles, diesel engines and aircraft. A single, commercial Sundrop Fuels biorefinery will produce more than 200 million gallons (over 600,000 tonnes) of fuel annually. The company is now designing its first large-scale commercial biorefinery for a plant site near Alexandria, Louisiana, USA. This greenfield plant, using Sundrop Fuels’ unique design, will produce more than 225 million gallons (over 675,000 tonnes) of 87 octane biogasoline per year with plant completion in 2020. The resulting fuels produced are fully compatible with fuel industry quality standards and available at an unsubsidized cost of about $2 per gallon (~$0.53 per liter). For emerging global markets, the scalability of the Sundrop process allows for smaller, efficient plants as required to match local feedstock conditions. As importantly, the Sundrop Fuels biofuels production path significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions as compared to conventional petroleum processes. The biomass feedstocks used in the Sundrop process come from sustainable timber, energy crop plantations, and agricultural wastes, not from food crops. Every gallon of Sundrop Fuels drop-in cellulosic advanced biofuel has > 60% reduction in life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to petroleum fuel and will generate RIN credits under the U.S. Internationally, this also enables the company to comply with important local clean energy and fuel standards.
