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Rentech

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Rentech, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 25 July 202517 sources
Rentech
Company typePublic
Template:OTCQB
IndustryWood
Fertilizers
Bioenergy
Founded1981
FounderCharles Benham
Mark Bohn
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
United States
Key people
Keith B. Forman[1]
(CEO, President, Director)
Productswood chips
wood pellets
nitrogen fertilizer
SubsidiariesFulghum Fibres
New England Wood Pellet
Rentech Nitrogen Partners (~60%)
Rentech Graanul (40%)
Websitewww.rentechinc.com

Rentech, Inc. (Renewable Energy Technology) was headquartered in Los Angeles, California and specialized in processing wood fibers and producing nitrogen fertilizers. Operating through subsidiaries such as Fulghum Fibres and Rentech Nitrogen Partners, the company offered services including wood chipping, pellet manufacturing, and nitrogen fertilizer distribution. Additionally, Rentech owned proprietary energy technologies like the Rentech–SilvaGas Gasification Process and the Fischer–Tropsch based Rentech Process.[2]

Energy technologies

Established in 1981 by Charles Benham and Mark Bohn, Rentech concentrated on bringing synthetic fuel technologies to market.[3][4] In 1991, it licensed the Rentech Process to Fuel Resources Development Company for producing diesel fuel from landfill gas at a Pueblo, Colorado facility. The company took ownership of this plant in 1993 but ceased operations later that year due to inadequate gas supply.[5]

In 2000, Rentech acquired a methanol production facility located in Commerce City, Colorado and converted it into a gas-to-liquids plant.[6][7] During the mid-2000s, the company planned multiple coal-to-liquids projects across states including Wyoming, Illinois, Kentucky, and Mississippi.[4]

By 2009, Rentech had announced plans for a synthetic fuels plant in Rialto, California and collaborated with ASIG along with thirteen airlines to provide synthetic diesel fuel for ground operations at Los Angeles International Airport.[8][9] In 2010, the firm entered into a memorandum of understanding with fourteen airlines aiming to supply alternative jet and diesel fuels sourced from a biofuels complex proposed in Natchez, Mississippi.[9]

In 2011, Rentech reached an agreement with Ontario’s government to construct a facility in White River that would convert 1.3 million tons of provincial forest resources into jet fuel and naphtha.[10][11] That same year, it acquired a 55 MW biomass integrated gasification combined cycle power project in Port St. Joe, Florida; however, development was discontinued in 2012.[12][13]

By 2013, the company shifted its strategic emphasis from biofuels toward wood pellet manufacturing. This transition involved shutting down its Commerce City demonstration plant focused on cellulosic biomass conversion technology and terminating the Natchez biofuels initiative.[14][15][16]

In 2014, Rentech divested its alternative energy technology assets from Commerce City to Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group, a Chinese enterprise.[17]

Wood Processing

In May 2013, Rentech entered the wood processing sector through the acquisition of Fulghum Fibres, Inc., a company based in Georgia. This deal also involved a partnership with Estonia’s pellet producer Graanul Invest to establish pellet manufacturing facilities across Canada and the United States. During the same year, Rentech purchased wood processing plants located in Atikokan and Wawa, Ontario, which were subsequently converted into pellet production sites under contracts to supply energy providers Ontario Power Generation and Drax Power.

Rentech further strengthened its presence in the wood pellet market in May 2014 by acquiring New England Wood Pellets, recognized as the leading U.S. manufacturer of wood pellets for heating purposes. Founded in 1992, New England Wood Pellet operates three plants throughout the northeastern United States, the largest regional market for heating pellets domestically.

Nitrogen Fertilizers

Rentech ventured into the nitrogen fertilizer market in 2006 by purchasing an ammonia fertilizer plant in East Dubuque, Illinois, from Agrium. In 2011, the company integrated this operation into its subsidiary, Rentech Nitrogen Partners, which was later publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange. This move improved Rentech’s financial standing and broadened its capital-raising capabilities.

In 2012, Rentech expanded its fertilizer business by acquiring Agrifos LLC, which runs a synthetic granulated ammonium sulfate production facility in Pasadena, Texas. This acquisition enhanced Rentech’s agricultural product range and service offerings.

Legal Challenges

On February 21, 2017, Rentech announced it would temporarily shut down its Wawa facility due to equipment malfunctions and operational difficulties that required unexpected capital expenditures, alongside concerns about the profitability of wood pellet production. The board highlighted that suspending operations would help preserve cash reserves while evaluating strategic options. Following this announcement, Rentech’s stock (RTK) dropped by 44%, prompting investor lawsuits. The company is currently subject to probes by several law firms including Levi & Korsinsky, Holzer and Holzer, Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, Goldberg Law PC, Rosen Law Firm, and Pomerantz Law Firm.

  1. ↑ "Rentech's (RTK) CEO Keith Forman on Q4 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript | Seeking Alpha".
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named wertz
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named alpha031111
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named capehart
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named cantner
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ogj170100
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ogj100900
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named biomass130509
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named guidelines
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bloomberg060511
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named canadian060511
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named pennenergy190711
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named biomass100112
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named biomass141113
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named biomass010313
  16. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bloomberg200813
  17. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named biomass061114
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