SHV Energy and GTI Energy announce new partnership to produce renewable propane

The process will employ a novel technology for producing renewable propane and butane (also known as bioLPG) from bioethanol, delivering the propane and butane as the primary products, which is a significant improvement on current commercial processes. It has the potential to bring substantial volumes of this important, clean burning renewable fuel to the market.

The collaboration with GTI Energy builds on work SHV Energy has been pioneering for the last three years. Together with Drochaid Research Services, a renowned contract research organisation with expertise in catalyst design, synthesis, characterisation and testing, SHV Energy developed a pathway to a renewable propane production process. The research identified a viable way to successfully convert bioethanol into renewable propane, using a wide range of globally available waste, bio-based and recycled carbon feedstock. The process also yields a valuable co-product of aromatic molecules, which is a key component in sustainable aviation fuels. 

“We are excited to partner with two world-leading research and development organisations, Drochaid Research and GTI Energy, to validate this pathway for on-purpose renewable propane production,” said Bram Gräber, CEO of SHV Energy. “This pioneering work, led by our Sustainable Fuels Director Rebecca Groen and her team, supports our ambition of developing innovative, game-changing energy solutions to benefit millions of customers around the world.”

The partnership with GTI Energy will focus on scaling-up the catalytic process to be able to launch a pilot plant and, ultimately, a commercial-level, first-of-a-kind renewable propane plant. The goal is to substantially contribute to a supply of over five million tonnes of renewable LPG annually through multiple plants. 

The initiative supports SHV Energy’s earlier investments, including its partnership with LanzaTech, announced in March, to employ its Carbon Capture and Transformation (CCT) technology to bring renewable propane and other sustainable fuels to the market via existing and novel pathways.

About GTI Energy 
GTI Energy is a leading research and training organization. Our trusted team works to scale impactful solutions that shape energy transitions by leveraging gases, liquids, infrastructure, and efficiency. We embrace systems thinking, open learning, and collaboration to develop, scale, and deploy the technologies needed for low-carbon, low-cost energy systems. www.gti.energy

About Drochaid Research Services
Drochaid Research Services is a Contract Research Company with significant capability in Catalysis and Material Science. It operates across the Technology Readiness Levels from early stage to scale up in conjunction with its customers and industrial partners. The Company has a track record in applying its know-how and experience flexibly to straddle sectors, including chemicals, Fischer Tropsch, sustainable fuels, energy, CCU, biotech, and the broader circular economy. Further information is available at www.drochaidresearch.com.