PureVision Technology Inc., a Colorado-based biorefinery developer, recently announced that it will scale up its biorefining technology at an industrial site in Boardman, Oregon, owned by ZeaChem Inc. The public announcement was made March 28 during a presentation by PureVision CEO Ed Lehrburger at the Oregon Hemp Conference at the Portland Expo Center.

PureVision’s patented biorefining technology takes in raw biomass—like corn stalks, wheat straw and industrial hemp—and produces sugars, pulp, lignin and other value-added materials for making thousands of bioproducts. PureVision’s process has advanced from proof of concept, to bench-scale, to an operating 0.5-ton-per0day continuous pilot plant at the company’s Fort Lupton, Colorado, headquarters.

“After an 18-month search for a site to develop our commercial demonstration-scale biorefinery, PurVision is excited to team up with ZeaChem Inc. and colocate our advanced biorefining technology at their existing $70 million biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon,” said Lehrburger. “The significant infrastructure in place at the ZeaChem facility will reduce the costs and timing to develop our 25-ton-per-day biorefining project. The Boardman, Oregon, location will accelerate bringing our technology to market,” he said.

PureVision and ZeaChem are working to finalize arrangements and expect to break ground later this year on the PureVision building at the Boardman biorefining site.

“Working with ZeaChem at their plant in Oregon provides a pathway to demonstrate the PureVision technology and establish commercial operations globally,” Lehrburger said. “We expect to begin operations in Oregon during 2016 using different feedsocks, including hybrid poplar and industrial hemp,” he said.