LanzaTech climbs bioenergy’s ‘hottest’ ranks

LanzaTech climbs bioenergy’s ‘hottest’ ranks

Auckland December 9, 2010: Energy technology company LanzaTech has climbed higher in the world ranking of the “50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy”.

The prestigious rankings, put out by Biofuels Digest, lists the New Zealand company at number 31 internationally – up 10 places from last year. More than 1,000 companies were eligible and 301 companies received votes.

The accolade comes straight after LanzaTech won a Red Herring Asia Top 100 Award for being one of the “most promising companies in the APAC region for innovative revolution in technological adaption”. It now goes on to compete for global honours. LanzaTech already made the Global Cleantech 100 earlier this year.

Dr Sean Simpson, LanzaTech’s co-founder and chief scientist, says the recognition shows that LanzaTech, which retains its core research and development in Auckland, has the right strategy to compete with the best in the world.

“Biofuels Digest is an excellent barometer of the emerging cleantech field. Getting recognised in this list is significant,’ Dr Simpson says.

LanzaTech was founded in early 2005 to develop and commercialize proprietary technologies for the production of lowest cost fuel ethanol from carbon monoxide in low-hydrogen waste gases. It attracted funding from the New Zealand Government and investors like The Warehouse founder Sir Stephen Tindall.

LanzaTech’s overseas journey was jump-started by investment by the US fund Khosla Ventures.
This year, with a growing international team led by Dr Simpson and US-based Chief Executive Dr Jennifer Holmgren, the company has announced partnerships with China’s Baosteel, Henan Coal and Chemical Industrial Corporation and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The partners will scale up LanzaTech’s technology and build plants capable of producing ethanol on a commercial scale from waste gases.

LanzaTech also recently announced it is to work with the US Department of Energy owned Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) on converting some of LanzaTech’s products to drop in jet fuel. Lanzatech’s clean energy technology can produce 2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BD), an oxygenate which can be used to make hydrocarbon fuels - true drop in fuels that can replace diesel, jet fuel and gasoline - and high value chemicals.

ENDS

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