CHICAGO, Oct. 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Competing in a low carbon economy is driving the public and private sectors to invest in technologies that will support the energy transition. LanzaTech has partnered on a next-generation bioreactor demonstration facility at the City of Edmonton’s Waste Management Centre that is expected to improve the economic viability of an integrated biorefinery. The first-of-a-kind demonstration facility is expected to show a new intensified bioreactor design with greater efficiency and lower operating costs. The demonstration facility, operated by Suncor, is providing data to support future commercial deployment.

The demonstration facility will convert waste-based feedstock, including municipal waste and forestry-residues, into ethanol and other chemicals necessary to make petroleum-free materials and goods. The ethanol produced from the biorefinery can be further processed into other products, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), using the LanzaJet™ alcohol to jet technology. The forestry residues are comprised of woody biomass material that is left after forestry operations (small diameter trees, branches, etc.). If handled through traditional waste management practices, forestry residues and municipal waste will eventually decompose, and emit climate harming gases, CO₂ and methane into the atmosphere. This project is a significant step in widening the pool of waste gases that can be transformed into the chemicals necessary to make petroleum-free materials and goods.

LanzaTech, working with Suncor and with the support of the Government of Alberta and the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) Fund through Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) and Alberta Innovates, expects to expand the breadth of waste feedstocks that can be economically used for gas fermentation. The demonstration facility was constructed by Suncor and has been producing ethanol since July 2022. Additional test campaigns are planned to demonstrate the robustness of the platform using a wide range of waste-based feedstocks.

“We are coupling engineering with biology to widen the feedstock pool and enable a new carbon economy,” said Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, Chief Executive Officer, LanzaTech. “We expect that this demonstration facility with Suncor and the support from ERA will demonstrate that the next wave of gas fermentation will promote the utilization of more waste streams, including CO₂, an important part of what we call a “Post Pollution Future.”

This technology for converting forestry and municipal solid waste streams into fuels and power could be used across several municipalities in Alberta. Making ethanol from waste-based feedstocks can reduce emissions by 97% relative to fossil gasoline.

“This demonstration facility is another example of how we’re making targeted investments to progress and scale up renewable fuel technologies to commercial readiness that will provide us with an early mover advantage,” says Andrea Decore, Vice President, Low Carbon Fuels & Offsets, Suncor. “We have over 15 years of experience in the renewable fuels business and have invested in areas that complement our existing business and will expand our energy offering in areas we understand well.”

“Biofuels made from a waste-based feedstock reduce emissions, promote a circular economy, and provide economic opportunities for Albertans. These benefits are the result of extensive collaboration between all three levels of government, innovators, and the energy industry” said Dr. John Zhou, Alberta Innovates Chief Cleantech Officer.

“Innovation tested right here in Alberta—with a technology developer partnering with a major energy company and collaborating with a municipality—is turning carbon waste into low-emission products used in our day-to-day lives, from things like clothing to sustainable aviation fuel,” said Justin Riemer, CEO, ERA. “ERA is proud to support these kinds of partnerships that are critical in achieving our environmental and economic aspirations.”

A short video produced by ERA about the project can be found here, https://www.eralberta.ca/story/lanzatechs-carbon-recycling-technology-turns-waste-into-saleable-products/

About LanzaTech:
LanzaTech harnesses the power of biology and big data to create climate-safe materials and fuels. With expertise in synthetic biology, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning coupled with engineering, LanzaTech has created a platform that converts waste carbon into new everyday products that would otherwise come from virgin fossil resources. LanzaTech’s first two commercial scale gas fermentation plants have produced over 50 million gallons of ethanol, which is the equivalent of offsetting the release of 190,000 metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Additional plants are under construction globally. LanzaTech is based in Illinois, USA.
www.lanzatech.com

As previously announced, LanzaTech has entered into a merger agreement for a business combination transaction with AMCI Acquisition Corp. II (Nasdaq: AMCI). Upon closing, the combined company is expected to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “LNZA”.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding, among other things, the plans, strategies and prospects, both business and financial, of LanzaTech. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of the management of LanzaTech. Although LanzaTech believes that its plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, LanzaTech cannot assure you that it will achieve or realize these plans, intentions or expectations. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Generally, statements that are not historical facts, including statements concerning possible or assumed future actions, business strategies, events or results of operations, are forward-looking statements. These statements may be preceded by, followed by or include the words “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “plans,” “scheduled,” “anticipates,” “intends” or similar expressions. The forward-looking statements are based on projections prepared by, and are the responsibility of, LanzaTech’s management. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the control of LanzaTech, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. New risk factors that may affect actual results or outcomes emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all such risk factors, nor can LanzaTech assess the impact of all such risk factors on its business, or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. You should not put undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements attributable to LanzaTech or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. LanzaTech undertakes no obligations to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

About ERA
For more than 12 years, ERA has been investing revenues from the carbon price paid by large emitters to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative clean technology solutions. Since we were established in 2009, we have committed $830 million toward 230 projects worth $6.6 billion that are helping to reduce GHGs, create competitive industries and are leading to new business opportunities in Alberta. These projects are estimated to deliver cumulative GHG reductions of 40 million tonnes by 2030.

For further information please contact:  

Media Contact - LanzaTech
Freya Burton, Chief Sustainability Officer
LanzatechPR@icrinc.com

Investor Relations Contact - LanzaTech
Omar El-Sharkawy
Director, Corporate Development 
LanzatechIR@icrinc.com