Emvolon is developing engines as chemical reactors (e.g. to produce methanol).
According to Leslie Bromberg:
We have been around for 3-4 years. We have carried experiments in Sloan Automotive Lab at MIT in now in NW13. We have access to MIT-owned IP, which I and MIT colleagues developed. We use reciprocating engines (i.e., modified combustion engines) as chemical reactors. We have had a seed fund from The Engine.
According to Emmanuel Kasseris, Emvolon came out of an ARPA-e project. Emmanuel was at Chevron.
The company makes low-cost green fuels. (see Reducing methane flaring, venting, and leaking to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and increase natural gas supply and Clean hydrogen and Decarbonizing ammonia).
Converts methane emissions and waste into low-cost green fuels.
Originally a flare mitigation technology, but could also be biogas and/or gasified biomass. Take these feedstocks near the source. Convert to green methanol using an onsite, portable, modular chemical plant.
$2.6M CAPEX for a 40’ container.
How it works: uses an automative engine as a chemical compressor and reactor.
Emvolon is especially enthusiastic about green methanol for marine transportation as a market. It will require new ships with bigger tanks, but same kind of tanks as today. Will require same engines but extra injector.
Methanol is used for plastics, fuel, paints, pharmaceuticals ($42B today).
You can also make Sustainable Aviation Fuels with methanol.
Also recently figured out how to take hydrogen and make green ammonia. Ammonia market size today: $84B. Ammonia is being considered as a hydrogen driver.
Emvolon had traction with oil & gas flare companies, but decided to focus on things that are ‘really green’, because the company not perceived as green otherwise.
Landfills, biogas from digesters and manure. Partnership with Commonwealth Resource Management and a digester company, Oberon.
Business model: Either methanol sales or hardware as a service.
Yanmar funded the biogas piece of this work.
After Series A, they could finance it with project finance or green bonds.
People
- Leslie Bromberg
- Emmanuel Kasseris