LanzaTech announced that it will partner with Chinese steel manufacturer Baosteel on a project to convert its carbon monoxide (CO) emissions into ethanol, according to a company press release.
A partnership between Baosteel and LanzaTech and a three way research alliance between Baosteel, CAS Bureau of Life Science and Technology and LanzaTech were signed at the New Zealand Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo on June 20.
Baosteel Metal and LanzaTech will construct a demonstration plant at one of Baosteel’s steel mills, with the intention of scaling the model again for the construction of the first commercial plant. The demonstration facility is expected to be in operation in the second half of 2011.
According to a report on Venturebeat, LanzaTech traps emissions from steel production, feeding them to microbes that can then produce ethanol. The extreme low cost and high availability of carbon monoxide indicate that LanzaTech could produce ethanol extremely cheaply, according to the report.
The deal represents the first commercial agreement for LanzaTech, which was founded in New Zealand five years ago. LanzaTech was featured on AlwaysOn’s list of 100 innovative greentech companies that it feels are transforming the global energy, water, agriculture, transportation, construction, manufacturing, and resource recovery establishments. Baosteel has scored low on the Pacific Sustainability Index from the Roberts Environmental Center of Claremont McKenna College released new Pacific Sustainability Index.
