LanzaTech Enters Licensing Agreement with SEKISUI to Launch Waste-to-Ethanol Plants in Japan

LanzaTech Global, Inc., a leader in carbon recycling, has entered into a Master License Agreement with SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD. to advance the development of commercial-scale waste-to-ethanol facilities across Japan. This agreement aims to deploy a joint platform that transforms syngas derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial waste into ethanol. SEKISUI plans to establish several facilities in various municipalities, utilizing LanzaTech’s technology, including equipment packages, engineering services, and intellectual property.

The first commercial-scale facility is projected to produce 10 to 12 kilotons of ethanol annually. This ethanol, meeting the Japan Alcohol Association Standard (JAAS), can be further processed into ethylene and kerosene, which are used as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and in numerous applications such as apparel, personal care products, and packaging materials. This agreement marks a significant advancement in their decade-long collaboration, aimed at diverting waste from landfills and incinerators to produce sustainable feedstocks, thereby reducing reliance on fossil fuels and food crops.

The new agreement builds on the success of prior projects, including a 2017 pilot plant in Yorii-machi, Saitama, Japan, and a 2022 demonstration plant in Kuji City, Iwate, Japan, which produces about 400 tons of ethanol annually. SEKISUI's Representative Director, Futoshi Kamiwaki, expressed enthusiasm for expanding the partnership with LanzaTech, highlighting the importance of this technology in reducing dependence on fossil fuels and advancing SEKISUI’s sustainability goals.

LanzaTech CEO Dr. Jennifer Holmgren emphasized the agreement’s role in advancing a circular carbon economy. She noted that the collaboration will provide municipalities with a platform to manage waste, capture carbon, and generate valuable sustainable feedstocks, while also creating local jobs. Holmgren also praised SEKISUI for its leadership in scaling carbon recycling technology and setting a global example for utilizing carbon from local waste.

Japan generates around 56 million tons of combustible waste annually, presenting a significant environmental challenge. Traditional waste management practices often result in methane emissions from landfills or carbon release from incineration. The new bioprocessing platform developed by LanzaTech and SEKISUI gasifies unsorted waste at disposal facilities and converts the resulting gas into ethanol through a microbial fermentation process, avoiding the need for chemical catalysts, heat, or pressure. This innovative approach offers a cost-effective alternative to fossil fuel-derived feedstocks and represents a key step toward addressing global waste and carbon management challenges.

LanzaTech Global, Inc. specializes in carbon recycling, converting waste carbon into sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials for everyday use. Through its advanced biorecycling technology, LanzaTech captures carbon emissions from energy-intensive industries directly at their source, preventing their release into the atmosphere. This captured carbon is then repurposed as a clean alternative to virgin fossil carbon, finding applications in a wide range of products including household cleaners, clothing fibers, packaging materials, and fuels.