Range Fuels
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Biofuel, Renewable energy |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Vinod Khosla |
| Defunct | 2011 |
| Fate | Ceased operations and plant sold through foreclosure |
| Headquarters | Broomfield, Colorado , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Cellulosic ethanol |
Range Fuels was established in 2006 by Vinod Khosla with the goal of creating technology that converts biomass into ethanol without relying on enzymes. Their method combined biomass gasification with syngas transformation using catalysts based on molybdenum to generate aliphatic alcohols. The company, originally called Kergy, adopted the name Range Fuels in 2007 and commenced construction of its initial commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in November of the same year.
Located in Soperton, Georgia, the facility ceased operations in January 2011 despite receiving significant financial support, including a $76 million grant from the US Department of Energy, $6 million from Georgia's state government, and an $80 million loan secured through the U.S. Biorefinery Assistance Program. Range Fuels ultimately shut down later in 2011, with the plant being sold through foreclosure on January 3, 2012.
In 2012, the New Zealand-based company LanzaTech purchased the site for $5.4 million and rebranded it as the Freedom Pines Biorefinery. Diverging from Range Fuels' catalytic approach, LanzaTech employs microbes to convert gas into ethanol and butanediol, which can be further processed into jet fuel via collaborative ventures. Notably, Vinod Khosla also supports LanzaTech.
External links
- Alcohol fuel producers
- Defunct energy companies of the United States
- Defunct companies based in Colorado
- Companies based in Broomfield, Colorado
- Renewable resource companies established in 2006
- Renewable resource companies disestablished in 2011
- Privately held companies based in Colorado
- American companies established in 2006
- American companies disestablished in 2011