Mercurius Biorefining
3190 Bay Road, Ferndale, Washington, United States

Mercurius Biorefining is developing its novel REACH process, which converts cellulosic biomass to hydrocarbons in the renewable diesel, aviation, and marine fuel ranges. Valuable by-products include bio-char and a bio-plastic monomer, FDCA.  REACH (Renewable Acid-hydrolysis Condensation Hydrotreating) is a novel application of proven technologies which is both feedstock- and product-flexible. Sources of potential feedstock include waste from municipalities (e.g. biogenic portion of MSW), forestry and agriculture.

Why the name Mercurius?

Mercurius is a combination of the gods of writing and of knowledge; the Greek god of interpretive communication, the Egyptian god of wisdom and Roman god of astrology and alchemy. His influence over alchemy, which had the goal of turning a plentiful element (lead) into a precious rare element (gold), seemed to fit neatly with the mission of Mercurius Biorefining - to produce diesel, jet fuel and green chemicals (gold) from waste feedstock (lead).

REACH Technology Mercurius Biorefining is developing a patented technology that is potentially ground-breaking in the search for cellulosic fuels.

• Efficiently converts biomass into biofuels and green chemicals without producing CO2 byproduct like fermentation and gasification processes
• Uses two widely deployed and well understood industrial processing techniques; one from the pulp and paper industry and the other from petroleum refining
• Creates an intermediate bio-crude product through the use of catalytic hydrolysis (similar to the pulp and paper industry
• Produces diesel and jet fuel hydrocarbons through a solid-bed-catalytic process analogous to the way the petroleum industry converts crude oil into the various petroleum products on the market today
• Does not use enzymes or microbes therefore it is not sensitive to feedstock impurities

Technology Advantages

• High yields

• High-value by-products: including FDCA, bio-char, levulinic acid, formic acid

• Non-extreme operating conditions: low-temperature, low-pressure, does not use enzymes or microbes

• Wide product range: cellulosic diesel and jet fuel with superb flow properties and high cetane number

• Uses established, reliable chemical processes

• Flexibility of feedstock, with no sugar intermediate required

• Beneficial for fuel producers and blenders: A means to fulfill renewable fuel obligations and improve their blending economics, due to excellent blend property of products