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Sandie Allen
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Pitch
Atropha aims to make biofuels to withstand harsh climate
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In July, a state mandate kicks in requiring that 2 percent of all diesel fuel be composed of biofuels. That will increase by 1 percent every year for three years until it hits 5 percent. A similar mandate in Minnesota ran into problems last winter because biofuels cloud up and solidify. Chad Joshi, CEO of Atropha LLC, wants to keep that from happening again. “[Biofuels] work well in the tropics, but in cold weather you have problems,” Joshi said.
Vegetable oil-based biofuel molecules have lots of oxygen, which causes the fuel to cloud and thicken under 55 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the type. Atropha is developing an electrochemical process to break down the vegetable oil and deoxygenate its molecules, making it a viable fuel for environments as cold as 50 degrees below zero, Joshi said.
The technology was developed by Joshi and Sanjeev Nukerjee, director of Northeastern University’s Center for Renewable Energy Technology. Joshi’s goal for the technology was to make the U.S. aviation industry — which he said goes through 30 billion gallons of kerosene-based fuel a year — sustainable. But that’s a few years off: the airline industry’s certification process can be lengthy.
In the meantime, Atropha is focusing on fuel-distribution companies like Waltham-based Global Co. LLC and Portsmouth, N.H.-based Irving Oil Corp. The distributors do the actual blending of diesel and biofuels at the local level because of the differing climates among Massachusetts, Minnesota and California, for example.
The market for Atropha’s process should be big, geographically and economically. The United States, Canada and Northern Europe have the type of climates where biofuels could freeze. The United States consumes 64 billion gallons of diesel fuel a year, Joshi said, and it’s more prevalent in Europe. “Almost half the cars in Europe are running on diesel,” he said.
Atropha is looking for $750,000 in funding to get its product ready for demonstration and develop its business.
Joshi said the climate for finding funding is a bit difficult these days. Atropha is a little early for the venture capital community, which would be looking for a more complete product. The startup is applying for Small Business Innovation Research grants and talking to the state about possible funding. “In the meantime, we’re using the funds we do have judiciously to bootstrap up,” he said.
Atropha already has a deal with Global to create a bio-additive for a plant in Albany, N.Y., that processes 24 million gallons of diesel a year. Once blended, the diesel with biofuel mixed in would turn up in every diesel using product the plant supplied.
“The trucks would never know,” he said.
Atropha LLC
Founded: 2009
Headquarters: Bedford
Web: www.atropha.com
Email: cjoshi@atropha.com
Phone: 978-259-0100
Employees: 2
The Pitch: The company is seeking $750,000 to prepare its product for demonstration and to develop the business.
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