Benefits

 

Environmental

GreenChem’s addresses several key environmental issues facing NZ and indeed humankind.  These include the issues of plastics as a source of long term waste, and greenhouse gases from fuel that are a key driver of climate change.  Fossil derived plastics damage the ecosystems of waterways and oceans, plus chemical contamination if burnt.

‘Driving Plastics Green’ is the key tagline and environmental message for GreenChem.  The business strategy of aligning with biofuel to utilise the same feedstock, underpin commercial viability of biofuels and licence GreenChem’s technology is premised on the need to empower biofuel by disseminating the technology rapidly and globally. 

Green plastics will include biodegradable products such as films and moulded products (science at Scion will test and prove the veracity of this claim).  Other adapted green plastics won’t be biodegradable (no-one wants a sewer pipe to rot, their phone screen to rot because it rains).  Yet such plastics should be safely incinerable (this claim will be tested and verified when green products are available to science).

GreenChem is premised on driving ALL fossil plastics from use within a generation. 

Extensive financial analysis convinces GreenChem that biofuels can only achieve commercial viability with the inclusion of lignin as a co-product and revenue stream.  Including lignin helps biofuel break even at US$60 per barrel.  Thus a widely dispersed GreenChem technology drives large scale biofuel which in turn addresses a key cause of climate change.

GreenChem’s technology adds value to all cellulose based biofuel technologies from 1st and 2nd generation bio-ethanol as well as hydrothermal methods. 

economic

GreenChem is premised on licensing lignin technology to biofuel operators.  While somewhat complex the economic and financial benefits are numerous.

  1. The fiscal benefit of doubling revenue via lignin is critical to the success of every biofuel operation.  The breakeven oil price drops from US$110 to about US$60 per barrel. 

  2. Each regional biorefinery is expected to generate 40 jobs

  3. Each regional biorefinery will produce 1.5% of NZ’s fuel requirements, reducing imports of that value.

  4. Several biorefineries should be built across several regions where forestry has a strong footprint.

  5. There is potential to build a larger unit using the Kraft pulp mill footprint infrastructure at Kawerau or Kinlieth.  This could produce 10% of NZ’s fuel and much of the feedstocks for NZ’s plastics requirements.

  6. Ultimately, as GreenChem’s technology is licensed offshore the turnover from biorefineries will approach $40 billion pa. Value add from green plastics will inevitably multiply this by at least an order.