Biomass Producers & Processors

Maverick Value Chain: Biomass Producers & Processors > Fuel Technology Companies > Fuel Distributors > Engine & Vehicle Manufacturers > Fuel Users

Unlike first generation ethanol-based biofuels that rely on edible feedstocks, Maverick’s gasification-based process will convert biomass or waste stream (crop, timber, landfill, etc.) into high-energy biofuels.  Maverick’s mixed-alcohol biofuel will be less expensive to produce, because our patent-pending process requires less energy inputs, and converts a greater percentage of the feedstock into sellable products. These feedstock streams include waste products from various agricultural commodity processing plants (cotton gins, rice processors, hop processors, mint oil producers, etc.) that are commonly operated by farm co-ops.  In these examples, the waste biomass is already transported to a central location (i.e., a processing plant), where plant operators must find some manner to dispose of this residue.

Farms and Co-ops
All biomass feedstock suppliers are commodity businesses seeking alternative markets for their existing products, alternative products that they can produce for a higher profit, and/or markets for what are traditionally waste products.  For example, the farmer growing corn could continue to produce corn grain for animal feed and then could sell some portion of the corn stover (remaining portion of the corn plant) to a biofuel manufacturer or they could stop growing corn and could grow switchgrass (a crop grown purposely for producing biofuels).  Timber producers can currently sell their trees to the saw mill to produce lumber (highest value) or to the pulp mill for paper production (lower-value).  Both of these operations produce a certain amount of timber waste that currently has little or no value.  In addition, both the lumber producer and the paper producer generate waste that can be used as a feedstock source for biofuel production.  Almost all farmers produce some sort of low-value ‘waste’ stream for which they are seeking alternative markets.  For example, all grain producers (rice, wheat, barley, etc.) produce straw, corn growers produce stover, coconut producers generate coconut husks, etc.  In addition, many farmers have marginal lands i.e. lands that produce very little food and/or profit on which they could grow biomass crops specifically for the purpose of producing biofuels.  This is commonly referred to as purpose-grown feedstocks and includes crops such as switchgrass, miscanthus, and some types of fast-growing trees.

Production Companies
Production companies produce a waste stream for which they are seeking either an efficient means of disposal or a market. For example, pulp and paper producers that convert trees into pulp generate a significant volume of ‘black liquor’ which they must dispose. Currently, most of the black liquor is disposed via some version of burning or gasification to produce heat and power (steam and/or electricity). Other examples of this category includes biodiesel producers that are using plant oils such as coconut or jatropha nuts, bagasse from sugar produced from sugar cane, and sugar beet pulp.

Municipal Solid Waste
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is another significant potential feedstock which can be converted to syngas and would have other environmental benefits if used for the production of biofuels. For example, estimates indicate that 40 to 60% of the materials going into our landfills could be converted to syngas. This would more than double the life of the landfill and at the same time significantly reduce the operating cost of the landfill.  In addition, as the material in the landfill decomposes, a significant amount of greenhouse gas, specifically methane, is produced. Reducing the amount of decomposable material going into the landfill would result in a significant reduction in the amount of methane produced.