Licella was founded in 2007 on the principle of transformation and a shared vision for a lower carbon future, by two lifelong low carbon innovators – Dr Len Humphreys, our Executive Chairman, and Professor Thomas Maschmeyer AO, from the University of Sydney.
Frustrated by the conventional methods of converting biomass to renewable oil, like pyrolysis and gasification, which involve the challenge of removing water from feedstocks, the pair embarked on a journey of technological discovery that led to a world-changing innovation.
The idea was simple – use the water already present in feedstocks to power the sustainable transformation to renewable oil (our bio-intermediate), through a process known as hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). This idea led to the invention of the Cat-HTR™ platform, the world’s leading HTL technology.
Cat-HTR™ opened a brand new, more sustainable and efficient pathway to produce biofuels and biochemicals, enabling the conversion of biomass waste and residue feedstocks that other technologies can’t process. A truly transformative low carbon solution, inspired and driven by nature itself.