Sustainable fuel technology company Alder Renewables (formerly Alder Fuels) has established a dedicated lab facility in Boulder, Colorado, to accelerate the commercialization of its Alder Renewable Crude (ARC) and Alder Pyrolytic Sugars (APS) platform, which can be used to produce products such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass.
Alongside the company’s private and public technology partners, the lab provides increased operational capabilities, allowing it to launch newly funded projects and continue grant work from the Department of Energy’s bioenergy technologies office. The 4,200-sq-ft space now houses Alder’s lab test stand equipment, pre-pilot reactors, and the company’s fully integrated pilot plant.
This plant is zoned to produce small quantities of ARC and APS and, through hydrotreating, convert them into SAF and other renewable fuels. The new lab’s purpose will be to establish the end-to-end pilot capabilities to de-risk the scale-up of the proprietary process and optimize product quality and yields while streamlining operational and equipment costs.
“The technical team at Alder Renewables deserves a lot of credit,” said Tim Obitts, Alder’s CEO and former head of the National Air Transportation Association, adding that they have worked tirelessly to reach this phase in development. “As we continue progressing towards commercialization, I’m confident that this investment in our people and operations will deliver an immediate impact on our mission to decarbonize key sectors in our society.”