Commercializing Innovation

Claus Pyrolysis is

Coming to Town

Bio of the Author:Dr. Kutney, Ph.D. in chemistry, has participated in all aspects of innovation and technology commercialization - especially related to torrefaction, pyrolysis, biochar, and biomass gasification - from the research laboratory to patents to marketing to the executive suite. With two decades of executive experience in technology commercialization with global corporations and entrepreneurial enterprises, he brings the innovation of research and technology development, the financial discipline of big business, and the spirit of entrepreneurship to start-ups and early-stage companies. He has extensive C-level experience, including strategic, operational, business development, and administration leadership, business and financial planning and analysis, financing strategies, techno-commercial evaluations and feasibility studies.

Bioenergy and Biofuels Director of Emerging Technologies and lead consultant in forestry bioenergy for the world’s largest

biofuels consulting group (Lee Enterprises Consulting) Director of Biochar Ontario Founded the LinkedIn group, Bioenergy Projects & Ventures Executive of a biorefining group (bark boiler and CHP/IPP facilities; the largest cellulosic ethanol business

in North America; and bioproducts business with operations in Canada and France) of a major forest products company

Executive of a biomass processing business in Canada Executive of a pyrolysis venture with pilot facilities in Canada and South Africa Authored over a dozen papers on pyrolysis presented at major bioenergy conferences (including the IEA

Bioenergy, International Bioenergy Conference, and CanBio) Authored technical papers: Biomass Pyrolysis Spectrum and The State of Pyrolysis in Canada Authored a study on the commercial status of over seven hundred and fifty pyrolysis firms Authored a study on the global pyrolysis industry for the National Research Council Canada Authored a study on the commercial status of wood-to-(drop-in) fuels for a European client Mentored and edited the business plans for a biomass pellet venture in the U.S. Mentored and edited the business/financial plans for a First Nation’s forestry venture in Canada Audited the commercial preparedness of a pyrolysis venture for an IPO in Canada Audited the commercial preparedness of a bioproducts venture for a international corporation in the U.S. Member of the expert panel on international standards for solid biofuels (wood/biomass pellets, torrefied

pellets and biochar briquettes) for ISO (TC 238) Member of the expert panel on Canadian standards for solid biofuels for CSA

Climate Change and Policy Development Authored the peer-reviewed book Carbon Politics and the Failure of the Kyoto Protocol, which examines

the policy challenges for addressing climate change Adjunct Professor & Part-time Instructor on fourth-year/graduate course on Climate Change, University of

Northern British Columbia – Environmental Science

Entrepreneurship and New Ventures Managing Director of own consulting venture President of an emerging-technology venture Chief Operating Officer with a new-technology venture Approved consultant with the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC, Entrepreneurs first) MBA mentor & Start-up Garage mentor at the University of Ottawa Entrepreneur mentor with Invest Ottawa

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Claus Pyrolysis is Coming to TownSixth Element Sustainable Management maintains a comprehensive global database of 1,000 biomass pyrolysis ventures. Information in the Pyrolysis Venture Database is essential for evaluating the investment options and assessing the competitive position of entrepreneurial firms. Reports with interactive tables with hyperlinks directly to these biomass pyrolysis technologies/ventures are available by region (EU, U.S., Canada, rest of the world) and/or by technology:

torrefaction – biocoal steam thermal (steam explosion) – black pellets slow pyrolysis (includes tires) – biochar (recycled carbon black) hydrothermal carbonization – hydrochar hydrothermal liquefaction – biocrude fast pyrolysis – pyrolysis oil, biochar gasification (includes MSW) – producer gas, biochar.

The database also includes an estimate of the commercial stage of development for each venture. Recently, a techno-commercial evaluation of the best-in-class technology developers in this database was carried out. The top venture was found to be one located in Canada - Advent Bioenergy (season2bjolly.ca), which was founded by the reclusive entrepreneur S. Claus. Innovation runs in the Claus family; his great-grandfather was the chemist Carl Claus (1827-1900), who invented the Claus Process, a technology to strip sulfur from sour natural gas still commonly used today.

Sixth Element Sustainable Management and its strategic partner Lee Enterprises Consulting are proud to have been working with Advent Bioenergy for several years, providing executive management mentoring and coaching, leading the preparation of their business and financial plans, and providing an audit of their commercial status for the green investment group Hawkesbury-Ottawa-Haliburton-Osgoode-Huntsville-Oshawa Investors (hohohoinvest.ca). Advent Bioenergy is also appreciative of the Canadian government’s support, through SDTC, BDC, and Natural Resources Canada. When we began developing the business plan, Mr. Claus only had a small unit of the process in his workshop; today, financing for the project has been achieved through HOHOHO, and an industrial-scale demonstration facility is under construction, designed by our strategic partner Zeton.

The Claus pyrolysis technology was developed at the company’s Energy Laboratory Facility (ELF) in Eureka, Nunavut. Another major technology is also in the works at ELF, which Claus has dubbed “Rudolph:” a bioenergy source of light. Advent Bioenergy has not yet promoted this technology, but it is expected to be released in the coming days. When referring to his pet project, Claus states, with a twinkle in his eye, “it’ll go down in history.” The Claus pyrolysis technology is a patent-pending, two-step process: the first stage is a rotary kiln which involves torrefaction by roasting chestnuts on an open fire; the second stage is a slow-fast pyrolysis hybrid, producing a high-grade biochar that has been submitted to the certification program of the International Biochar Initiative (IBI). This product has been tested by the noted biochar expert Dr. Hugh McLaughlin, a consultant with Lee Enterprises. When asked whether it was bad or good, Dr. McLaughlin stated, after checking it twice, that it was exceptionally good for goodness’ sake.

An important aspect of the technology is pre-treatment of the biomass for which Advent Bioenergy has partnered with Kris Brothers Forest Products (recyclingxmastrees.ca). Jack Frost, a spokesman for Kris Brothers, has stated that the firm only utilizes sustainable biomass, including Yule logs, discarded trees from last holiday season, and some mistletoe. The proprietary treated biomass is sold under the trade name Kris-mass, ® but the employees still call it by the term used in the early days of its top-secret development, “X-mass.”

Controversy, though, swirls around the Claus technology because of the reindeer housed at ELF. All that is known is that they are connected with trials of an aviation biofuel. Environmental non-government agencies (ENGO) have accused the northern entrepreneur of animal rights abuse and even genetic engineering. And the save-the-reindeer movement is gathering momentum. Claus laughs in a jolly manner at such well-meaning but misguided concerns.

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There have been accusations that the financial support for these groups has come from the major coal corporation, E. Skruge Energy (bahhumbug.ca), but the company denies the charges.

In a rare public appearance, Claus recently flew to Paris on his bio-fueled sleigh to attend COP21 to promote biochar as an option to help reduce climate change. On Santa Claus’s wish list is giving a presentation on the environmental benefits of biochar, possibly at the upcoming International Bioenergy Conference in Prince George, BC. He is looking forward to discussing the future of bioenergy and biofuels.

Sixth Element Sustainable Management and Lee Enterprises Consulting sincerely thank their clients for the opportunity to contribute to their success and wish everyone a Merry Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.

Sixth Element Sustainable Management is a "boutique" consulting firm specializing in commercializing innovation, and evaluating the business preparedness and commercial potential of technology developers and their projects. We provide executive management services for inventors, entrepreneurs, investors, and public sector agencies in new technology, start-ups and early-stage ventures. Services are directly provided by the Managing Director of Sixth Element Sustainable Management, Gerald Kutney, Ph.D. in chemistry.

Venture success depends more on management than the technology itself. Dr. Kutney has participated in all aspects of innovation and technology commercialization, from the research laboratory to patents to marketing to the executive suite. With two decades of executive experience in technology commercialization with global corporations and entrepreneurial enterprises, he brings the innovation of research and technology development, the financial discipline of big business, and the spirit of entrepreneurship to start-ups and early-stage companies.

Visit our website at www.6esm.com and contact us to discuss options and services: gkutney@6esm.com.

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