Valero Energy invests in Qteros for the expansion of its cellulosic ethanol production technology
The difference between the conventional process ofcellulosic ethanol production and Qteros’ C3 Process. Image courtesy of Qteros.
Valero Energy Corp., one of the leading energy companies in the United States, has invested in Qteros for the further development of Qteros’ patented Q Microbe technology, which is used in the production of cellulosic ethanol from biomass.
Originally known as Sun Ethanol, Qteros has developed a proprietary technology known as Complete Cellulosic Conversion (C3), which uses the Q Microbe. The Q Microbe is a lollipop-shaped microscopic organism that is ideally suited for the production of cellulosic ethanol, as it possesses certain qualities that can transform any cellulosic material into ethanol in a single step, instead of the usual process in which enzymes are used to break down the biomass before it can be fermented. The Q Microbe was discovered in Western Massachusetts by Dr. Susan Leschine, Founder and Chief Scientist of Qteros.
The company has recently received $2 million in US Government appropriations for the construction of its pilot plant in Springfield, Massachusetts that is expected to be completed this summer. Several investments have also been made by Venrock, Battery Ventures, BP, and Soros Fund Management to help finance the project.
Qteros has already received four grants from the US Department of Energy for technological development. Its laboratory team has already achieved a 15-fold productivity increase in its cellulosic ethanol technology.
Valero Energy Corporation is a Fortune 500 energy company that operates 16 refineries throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, with a combined capacity of 3 million barrels per day, and six ethanol plants in the Midwest, with a combined capacity of 670 million gallons annually.
Qteros is a company that has developed a proprietary technology that uses the microscopic organism Q Microbe in the production of cellulosic ethanol from biomass. The company is planning to construct its pilot facility in Springfield, Massachusetts. Qteros is headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
- Natassia Y. Laforteza
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