Virent Inc.

Virent is replacing crude oil. The company creates the chemicals and fuels the world demands from a wide range of naturally occurring, renewable resources including bioforming technology to produce fuels, chemicals, fibers and plastics.

Consumers, and the companies who serve them, are demanding sustainable, earth-friendly, cost competitive alternatives to products processed from crude oil.

Virent’s technology creates products that can replace over 90% of the products made from petroleum. Using patented catalytic chemistry, Virent converts soluble biomass-derived sugars into products molecularly identical to those made with petroleum, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and chemicals used for plastics and fibers.
Their products are “drop-in” replacements that enable full utilization of today’s existing processing, pipeline, storage and transportation infrastructure.

Virent produces its hydrocarbon chemicals and fuels from plant sugars in a few hours, compared to the millions of years required for petroleum. In addition, their technology is feedstock flexible, which means that customers can choose the plant sugar source that makes the most sense for their situation.
Virent works with conventional sugars as well as a wide variety of cellulosic biomass from non-food sources. Their technology can be utilized anywhere in the world, with any type of feedstock, resulting in energy and economic independence for those pursuing freedom from crude oil.

The company has received numerous honors, including the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer award, the ICIS Innovation Award, the Wisconsin Companies to Watch Award, the Red Herring Top 100 North America Award and the EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. Virent has key strategic relationships in place with Andeavor, Royal Dutch Shell, Cargill, Honda and The Coca-Cola Company to add the vital resources and expertise required to accelerate commercialization of its technology.