LanzaTech seeks partners for waste-to-jet fuel project

Jennifer Holmgren, chief executive officer of bioscience start-up LanzaTech NZ Ltd., said the company is looking for technology partners for a project that will convert steel industry waste into jet fuel for airplanes.
LanzaTech, which was founded in New Zealand, was recently awarded the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer Award 2013. The company said it will supply jet fuel to Virgin Atlantic in 2014 for its Shanghai-London and Delhi-London flights. Its joint venture with BaoSteel Group Corp. in China is expected to start commercial production of ethanol in early 2014 from its plant in Shanghai.
“The conversion of ethanol into jet fuel is a different technology than ours. So, we will be using a conversion partner,” Holmgren explained, adding that the partner they are looking for will be bringing in only technology.
Although the company is in talks with prospective partners, Swedish Biofuels, which partners with LanzaTech in the production of aviation fuels in the U.S, may do so in China too. Holmgren said the company is close to identifying a site for building a plant to produce ethanol from steel waste in India, where it plans to use carbon monoxide from Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. LanzaTech has already inked a deal to sell the ethanol produced to state-run Indian Oil Corp. Commercial production will likely begin in 2015, she added.
Aside from U.S.-based Khosla Ventures, which holds around 50% of the company’s stake, Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund and China’s Qiming Ventures have investments in the company as well. (September 14, 2012)