Having already demonstrated its ability to effectively produce a suite of green chemicals from cellulosic and other nonfood-based biomass at its one-ton-per-day pilot facility in Seattle, Blue Marble Biomaterials intends to build on that success by repurposing a 40,000-square-foot facility into a 100 metric-ton-per-month biobased chemical plant in Corvallis, Mt.



Using its proprietary Acid, Gas and Ammonia Targeted Extraction process technology, BMB expects to manufacture a variety of green chemicals from cellulosic feedstocks including agricultural waste, spent brewery grain, micro algae, corn silage and more. The new facility will also be capable of converting lignin-rich feedstocks, such as woody biomass, into renewable chemistry, though it will initially focus on cellulose inputs, says CEO Kelly Ogilvie.

“Our ability to convert a wide range of feedstocks is one of the cornerstones behind our proprietary technology,” he says. “That’s key for us.”



The Corvallis plant, which is expected to produce commercial volumes early next year, will initially focus on producing high-value biobased chemicals such as ethyl butyrate for the food and flavoring industries, and propyl butyrate for the cosmetics and fragrance industries, where market values stand at approximately $15 billion and $30 billion respectively, Ogilvie says. “With a combined market of $45 billion, those are very deep markets to begin playing, with no apparent competition that we can see at this point,” he notes. In addition to biobased chemicals, the company is able to coproduce various biogases such as hydrogen sulfide and biomethane.

Ogilvie says future plans are to identify a site for a 1,000 metric-ton-per-month facility.