Corporate Overview
Fiberight is a privately held company founded in 2007 with current operations in Virginia, Maryland and Iowa. As a leading edge clean technology company, our team focuses on transforming post-recycled municipal solid wastes and other organic feedstocks into next generation renewable biofuels, with cellulosic ethanol as the core product. Pilot plant facilities have been on-going during 2008-2009. In November 2009, Fiberight purchased a former dry-mill corn ethanol plant in Blairstown, IA with the intent to cost efficiently retrofit this plant for commercial level operations. Initial stage investment for the company’s $30 million Iowa plant will enable the company to commence production of its demonstration scale facility in early 2013 to convert industrial and municipal solid wastes into cellulosic ethanol and biogas using proprietary sorting, pulping, enzymatic hydrolysis and recycling technology. Following the demonstration phase at our Virginia plant from 1st Qtr 2012 – 3rd Qtr, 2012, the Iowa plant will be scaled to commercial production capacity of 6 MMgy by early 2013. Fiberight is targeting rapid expansion of its proto-type commercial plants in markets with 100,000 or more population within a five mile radius, with special focus on municipalities with high-stranded trash costs or landfill limitations.
Commercializing A Differentiated Approach
Fiberight’s key concepts having been “brewing” for many years with over two decades of successful business history in the waste recycling and micro-brewery industries, CEO Craig Stuart-Paul has united a unique management and scientific team to develop Fiberight’s novel solution to convert the excess tonnage of trash headed for landfill disposal into valueable energy. By applying a combination of expertise in the waste industry with specialty biotech knowledge, Fiberight has created a means to efficiently sort, pulp, process, digest and refine the abundant cellulosic content in organic waste materials. Our processes produce high yields of glucose which is converted into alcohol and then into the end product – cellulosic ethanol. What differentiates Fiberight from other biofuel approaches is that we have applied our practical materials handling expertise in the recycling and waste management industries to develop the concept into a commercially viable business. Our team has taken its knowledge about production plant design, waste processing methodologies, and our expertise regarding enzymatic hydrolysis to build a profitable and solution-driven business. Three years ago, Fiberight first began to prove that its enhanced fiber separation technology could be industrialized for transportation grade fuels. Our proprietary conversion methodology can be implemented in a “mini-mill” concept, with plant facilities easily sited in urban or industrial locations within close proximity to sources of feedstock – waste transfer stations or landfills, as well as to the end product ethanol purchasers. Fiberight’s biorefinery facilities have both rational capital costs to build as well as operating expenses to run. Fiberight has successfully developed a modular plant process that is capable of converting wastes at a very efficient cost per gallon – with high margin returns.
Key Competitive Advantages
- High Waste Feedstock Availability at Low Cost – Fiberight takes advantage of low cost and abundant high-energy sources of municipal solid waste (MSW) feedstock from existing supply infrastructure, by locating proximate to waste hauler and collection sites. The source of MSW feedstock is widely available across the US, with sufficient tonnage available in most communities by locating Fiberight’s biofuel plants near municipal or private waste transfer stations. Fiberight avoids the food vs. fuel debate as the MSW feedstock is a non-agricultural source.
- Energy / Environmental Impact Gains – Fiberight also sequesters plastic/hydrocarbon fractions for production of cogeneration plant energy using a low emissions process, resulting in its biorefinery plants having the added benefit of being a net energy producer. Fiberight’s clean technology value proposition offers an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the production of petroleum based fuels.
- Efficient Organic Conversion – Fiberight’s targeted organic processes, pretreatment methods and novel enzyme recycling systems have been perfected, using proprietary technology and IP in a low temperature, close water loop system, to manage costs. Fiberight offers a low operating cost business model at significantly more attractive and stable margins than other cellulosic ethanol models relying on high cost arc gasification to syngas or acid hydrolysis methods.
- Rationale CAPEX – Fiberight utilizes an efficient “mini-mill” plant facility, with 50,000 square foot operations, that can be constructed at much lower initial capital investment due to the smaller scale, closed-loop system and streamlined permitting process. Lower plant investment cost enables initial market viability at reasonable feedstock input and production rates. Transportation and feedstock logistics are much simpler.