Licella offered A$1M grant towards development of Cat-HTR for plastics within Australia

Licella™ has been offered a A$1M Accelerating Commercialisation grant by the Australian Government, to support the commercialisation of our Cat-HTR™ technology for End-of-Life Plastic (ELP) within Australia.
Accelerating Commercialisation is part of the Australian government’s Entrepreneur’s Programme. The grant program supports Australian innovations in reaching commercialisation. The grants are offered on a dollar-matched basis, with the maximum grant achievable being A$1M.

Licella™ is excited to be investing, alongside the Australian government, in the commercial development of its Cat-HTR™ platform within Australia. Earlier this year Licella™ signed a joint-venture (JV) with Armstrong Chemicals to build commercial-scale Cat-HTR™ plants for ELP in the UK. This project sits outside of the JV, with Licella™ pioneering the ELP to fuels field within Australia.

The project will support two important National priorities; diverting plastic from landfill and our oceans and assisting Energy Security through the provision of Sustainable Liquid Fuels. In Australia mid distillate fuels account for approximately A$20bn annually, with over 90% of these being imported according to the June 2015 Federal Government report on Transport Fuel Resilience and Sustainability.

Australia’s Waste Problem
Australia has a serious problem with waste. It is estimated that by 2036, waste generated in Australia will have doubled from the last ABS known data . Waste policy is established by the States – NSW, VIC, SA and WA have all implemented escalating landfill levies to help address the issue.
For waste companies in most States therefore, Licella™ may be able to reduce their costs of ELP disposal through avoidance of landfill levies and tipping fees.

Pathway to Commercialisation
Licella™ will use this A$1M to assist in constructing an end to end Cat-HTR™ demonstration plant for ELP at our existing pilot plant, located at Somersby, on the NSW Central Coast. By demonstrating the Cat-HTR’s commercial feasibility for ELP, this plant paves the way for the construction of Australia’s first commercial waste plastic to fuels/chemicals plant, which will most likely be located at an existing waste processing facility.

Market Opportunity for Licella™ Plasticrude
For fuel blenders, Licella’s Plasticrude can provide a high cetane blendstock, which is attractive in meeting fuel specifications. For customers it provides sustainable fuels, waxes and chemicals which are of increasing demand. Licella’s Plasticrude is also low in sulphur, thereby producing low sulphur fuels, which are of increasing demand especially in the marine market, where there is a lack of supply.

Accelerating Commercialisation Support
Licella™ would like to take this opportunity to thank the Australian government’s Entrepreneur’s Programme for its support in awarding us with the Accelerating Commercialisation grant. We are excited to be able to demonstrate the commercial viability of our Cat-HTR™ process for ELP within Australia for the first time. Without this generous support, the end to end prototype for ELP would not be possible.
We look forward to bringing you more updates on the project in the near future.

Read the full media release here