Chemical engineers agree that methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases. Atmospheric methane is estimated to have over 80 times the impact of CO2 over a 20 year period, despite a lower longevity in the atmosphere. From the biogenic methane of farm animals and plant waste through to losses from landfill decay, humans play a big role in methane production globally. So how can we capture and extract useful energy from waste methane, instead of venting the gas directly into the atmosphere?
This pressing problem is being tackled by a number of companies globally, not the least of whom is Auckland and Vienna based Vertus Energy. The company developed an industrial scale biotechnology that vastly increases efficiencies during the production of biofuels. The company’s BRIO™ technology utilises bacterial interaction to create an astounding 60 per cent additional energy from biowaste, but at three times the speed of similar products. The unit sits inside the anaerobic digester and can be easily retrofitted to existing setups. For industrial users facing large capital outlays, this makes biofuel a far more attractive option financially.
The Vertus Energy story is very much about a congregation of business technical minds and relationships built across the globe. Several of the founders are skilled migrants bringing deep knowledge in chemistry, engineering and tech business development. Advisory board members include John Wood who led CSIRO battery tech spinout venture Ecoult to a successful exit. Incubated at Outset Ventures highly respected facility in Auckland, New Zealand, Vertus Energy recently secured a second seed round to the value of €8.75M in support of its European growth plans. With EU nations eager to diversify their energy supplies in light of geopolitical tensions, investments into green gas production seem rather sensible right now.
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Image credit: ChristineIMiller via Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA-4.0
