With full conversion achieved, the company will now focus on optimizing the continuous process and scale-up of the upstream and downstream steps and run for longer runs.
“This CTS pilot reactor is equipped with some design features that are necessary to ensure solid and feasible upscaling to very large volume, and therefore we are pleased to see full conversion with this system,” said CEO Ben Slager. “We firmly expect to have the same success with commercial-size machines.”
The knowledge gained from the completion of the pilot build-out will be key to the final design of the semi-commercial plant which is expected to be able to run up to a throughput rate to produce sufficient sugars that can convert into 500,000 gallons of ethanol per year.
